Zompocalypse
by tiffanywillow
Summary: AU. Months after the start of the zombie apocalypse and the total collapse of civilization, a group of survivors bands together to fight off the dead and the living. Combining their individual skills and knowledge, this group of young women must protect the one thing that could save humanity. Pairing: Ami-Makoto, Rei-Minako, Haruka-Michiru, Usagi-Seiya.
1. Usagi Will be Brave

**Chapter 1-Usagi will be brave**

Tokyo. A city of young people. A place where people thrived and lived, happily and contently for so many years.

Lately, a new race had taken over the city. Its population quickly spread and the infection enveloped the once-peaceful place. It was no longer a place for people to live. The undead had taken over, snuffed out the lights and spread despair among the remaining few.

Night fell silently and darkness shrouded the streets. The livings quickly retreated to their shelters and locked their doors. The crescent moon in the sky, the only light source illuminating the city, casted long shadows as the zombies freely roamed the streets.

Usagi parted the curtains and peeked outside the window. Her eyes had adjusted to darkness, after months of training. The coast seemed clear, no undead in sight.

In the dark room, Chibiusa moaned and stirred in her bed, as her fever spiked again. Her hand shot out, searching for her big sister's hand. Tears rolled down her face as she whimpered. "I am scared, Usagi….."

Usagi replaced the cold towel on the little girl's forehead. "It's going to be okay. Just close your eyes and think of a happy place, okay?" She averted her eyes, hoping not to betray her own fear. Truth was, they ran out of medications yesterday. Who knew, a simple run-of-the-mill flu could kill so easily now.

"uh…." The little girl tossed about, clutching her head. "It hurts…."

Usagi glanced at the family photo next to the bed and clenched her fists. In the first week of the apocalypse, they lost their parents. They died protecting them. Now, it was up to Usagi to make sure her little sister would live…

"Chibiusa, I am going to go out. The pharmacy is only four blocks away; I can bike there and back. Here…" Usagi tug the stuffed animal in, "Luna will keep you company until I come back."

"mm…mama…papa…." Chibiusa started to drift in and out of consciousness. "Usagi, stop eating my food…"

Usagi leaned down and kissed the girl on the burning forehead. She slowly made her way down the stairs, accustomed to the darkness by now. Swiftly, she packed her flashlight and a knife into her pink backpack. Even though her heart was pounding fiercely, survival instinct threatening to stop her in her track, Usagi gritted her teeth and ignored her fear. Without antibiotics, Chibiusa wouldn't make it….

She tied her long pigtails up into a tight bun and jumped on the bike. Last time she almost died when one of the zombies grabbed her hair…she wasn't about to repeat that mistake again…

Looking back at the house one last time, Usagi wiped the tears off her face. She had to do this…..

* * *

The moon hung low in the sky, illuminating the streets and casting shadows on the decomposing bodies. In the summer heat, the stench was almost unbearable. Usagi tried to breathe through her mouth as she pedaled through the deserted street.

Up ahead, she could see two rogue zombies walking around aimlessly. Slow to a crawl, Usagi quietly maneuvered the bike to the next alley, avoiding detection. Once she was safe, Usagi picked up speed again, heading straight towards the pharmacy.

"Please don't be raided. Please don't be raided." Usagi prayed silently in her head. Last time she was there, she managed to scavenge some painkillers and bandages, but that was two weeks ago.

The store looked empty when she arrived. Usagi carefully made one round around the store, checking for any herds of zombies. Then, she carefully crawled through the broken window.

"I want to be a ninja when I grow up." A young Usagi had said once. She remembered how her mom sewn a ninja costume for her and how her mom stayed up that night, practicing "ninja skills" with Usagi. The next day at the talent show, Usagi proudly showed it off and she even won second place in the competition.

Walking quietly through the aisle, Usagi smiled sadly. If only she was really a ninja, she might have been better at protecting her little sister. Before the apocalypse, she was just a normal, carefree girl. Forced to grow up overnight, Usagi shouldered the burden bravely…

For the first few weeks, Usagi scavenged food close to her house, raiding neighbor houses and the rows of vending machines close by. As the food source dwindle, Usagi had to venture out further and further. There were some close calls, but Usagi had been lucky so far…

 _Clung._ Something fell off the shelf, stopping Usagi in her track. Usagi grabbed the knife out of her backpack and looked around. She could sense movement in the store, paired with that familiar stench of death.

Gripping the handle tightly, Usagi carefully moved through the aisle. She knew that one wrong judgment, one wrong movement and that would be the end of her. The stench was getting closer and Usagi fought the urge to run…

So far, Usagi hadn't killed any zombies yet. She always preferred running away, instead of risking a confrontation. Today, she couldn't run and she knew she had to take care of this one before she could get her drugs.

"Grrr..Argh" The zombie turned the corner and bumped into Usagi. Thrown off balance, she felled backward and her back hit the ground with crushing force. The undead crouched down and with his decomposing jaws hanging low, the zombie started to chomp inches away from the fallen girl.

Panic set in and Usagi waved her knife blindly. A few cuts landed on the zombie's face but it was futile. Usagi looked into the zombie's empty eyes and her heart sank. In the frenzied fight, Usagi lost her grip on the knife and it flew out of her hand.

Weaponless, defenceless, Usagi held out her hands and tried to push the monster away. Was this it? Was this the end?

 _Zing._ A shiny blade swung out and neatly chopped off the zombie's head. It rolled a few feet and then a foot stepped on it.

Usagi looked up and saw a handsome boy holding a bloody katana, beside him stood a gorgeous lady with aquamarine hair.

"Are you okay?" The woman held out her hand and help Usagi to her feet.

Too shocked to talk, Usagi merely nodded.

"Next time, you might want to use a bigger knife." The boy said coldly as he wiped the blood off with his shirt.

"Haruka! Be nice." The woman instructed. "Don't mind her, she's hungry and cranky. My name is Michiru, what's yours?"

"My name is Usagi."

"What are you doing out here all by yourself? You should know by now, it is safer to scavenge with more than one person." Michiru said as she continued to stick medicine into her oversized bag.

"My little sister, she's very sick and we ran out of meds. Her fever kept on returning despite all my efforts and I …" Usagi gulped and tried to hold back her tears.

Michiru looked at Haruka and they shared a look. Haruka rolled her eyes. "Michiru, we can't keep picking up strays…"

Ignoring Haruka, Michiru smiled warmly at Usagi. "Haruka and I and a group of survivors are staying at this beach house. There is someone that might be able to help. She was a medical student when the apocalypse hit and she's the closest thing to a doctor. Not to mention, I have all the meds now…" She chuckled lightly as she pointed at her bag.

Usagi widened her eyes and couldn't believe her luck. She bowed gratefully and deeply at the stranger. "We are just a few blocks away from here….thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

Michiru put her arm around the distraught girl and gently squeezed her shoulder. "You won't ever be alone again. Come….Let's go get your sister and then we will go back to the house."


	2. The Survivors

**Chapter 2-The Survivors**

Haruka gently laid the sick little girl in the backseat and closed the door. She looked back at Michiru talking to the new girl and felt a sense of unease. Food supplies being low as it is, now there would be two more mouths to feed.

When this all started, it was just her and Michiru, fighting through the mass of the undead and setting up their own fortress in the beach house. Slowly, they started to run into other survivors and before they know it, the group expanded to eight people, including a little girl they rescued and adopted.

Haruka glanced at the watch and saw that they were late to report back for about an hour. Hotaru would be worried. She snapped her fingers at the other two and then tapped on her watch. Leapt into her yellow convertible, Haruka started the car. When Michiru and Usagi got in, Haruka slammed down on the accelerator, eager to get back…

The wind whipped past them harshly as the car zoomed down the empty roads. Haruka glanced at the stranger in the rear view mirror and frowned. Usagi was bending down feeling Chibiusa's forehead and Haruka could see a suspicious-looking wound on Usagi's neck.

Before she could ask, Michiru started talking. "So back at the house, we have six other people. There is another girl that's about the same age as Chibiusa. I am sure they will become great friends."

"I am sure…."Usagi's voice trailed off. "I just want to say…thank you for saving me earlier and now trying to save my little sister. Once she's all better, we will leave." Usagi's eyes darted towards Haruka.

 _Damn. She's so sweet…_ Haruka groaned internally. "Is it just the two of you left? Your parents?"

"They died." Usagi bowed her head.

Michiru nodded slowly and once again looked at Haruka. She knew that look well and once again Haruka groaned.

"Then, stay with us. I am sure we can all manage." Michiru said to Usagi.

* * *

The ride back was uneventful and they finally made it back to the safe house. "Wait here." Michiru got out of the car and held up her flashlight. Two quick flashes and then two flashes responded from the roof of the house.

"Rei is our sniper of the group. That was "don't shoot us, it's just us" signal." Michiru explained.

Haruka picked up the little girl and carried her towards the house. Michiru and Usagi followed closely behind.

The minute they open the door, a little girl with raven hair ran straight towards Michiru and hugged her legs.

"Hi, Hotaru. Sorry, we are late." Michiru bent down and kissed the girl. "Can you go wake up Ami-chan?"

Hotaru nodded and ran off towards the back of the house. Usagi set down her bags and looked around in awe. The windows were painted black so she didn't see, but it had been months since she was in a house with electricity.

"How?" Usagi asked as she pointed at the lights.

"Makoto was training to be an electrician and she was the one that rigged up the solar panels," Haruka replied as she set Chibiusa down on the couch.

"Usagi?" Ami appeared in the doorway and gasped.

"Ami?" Usagi looked just as surprised.

"You guys know each other?" Michiru asked as she scooped up Hotaru onto her laps. "What a small world."

"We were in the same class back in high school, Ami was the genius." Usagi ran up to Ami and gave her a big hug. "I am so glad you are okay. So, you got into medical school? That's so cool…"

Ami's face turned beet-red and she stammered. "Y..yes. I did. Is your family okay?"

"Chibiusa and I made it…my parents didn't. Ami, please save my sister. She's been running a fever for about a week now and she's not getting better." Usagi lead Ami over to the couch.

Hotaru jumped off Michiru's lap and quickly ran over to the closet. She then returned with a heavy doctor's bag and handed it to Ami.

"Thank you, my little doctor-in-training." Ami patted the little girl on the head. Opening her bag, she pulled out her stethoscope and she started to examine Chibiusa.

Just then, four more young women gathered and stared at the newcomer.

Usagi looked at the group and felt intimidated. They all looked like they were straight from a model spread. The girl with the black hair had such an intensive stare that Usagi couldn't help but avert her gaze.

"This is Makoto, the one that knows everything about electricity. This is Minako, who just graduated from the police academy when everything happened. This is Rei, best archer and sniper of the group. This is Setsuna, she is the resident scientist, so to speak. Don't go into the room with the big red lock, that's Setsuna's lab, along with her two zombie subjects. Everyone, this is Usagi and this is her younger sister Chibiusa." Michiru quickly did the introduction.

"What's your skill set?" Rei asked bluntly.

Embarrassed, Usagi looked down once again. "I don't have any fighting skills…I suck at science and math…I don't know what I am good at…"

"So you have no skills at all…." Rei made a rushed judgement.

Michiru stepped up and held Usagi's hands. "I don't know why I know this, but from the moment I saw you, I sensed that you are important somehow. Plus, you said you were studying to be a teacher. Forgive me for being selfish, but I was hoping you could help my little girl Hotaru."

"Oh…what's wrong with Hotaru? And I've only been studying for two years, I don't know everything yet…" Usagi shook her head, unsure what possible way she could be of any help to them…"But I will try my best…considering everything you've done tonight, Michiru, I am forever in debt to you guys."

Michiru gave her partner a look and Haruka quietly led Hotaru out of the room. "Time for bed, little firefly…"

Once they were out of earshot, Michiru recounted the encounter. "Haruka and I were scavenging for food in people's apartment one day and we found her in a pool of blood, next to her dead father. She had a knife in her hand, and we think that she had to kill her dad. Anyway, we don't know how long she stayed there, and she was in such shock….she didn't say anything for the entire way back. At first, we figured it would go away once she felt safe here…but it's been months and she remained silent. She bonded with all of us and she seemed happier, but still wouldn't talk…"

Usagi felt tears welling up in her eyes and she turned to her sister. If Chibiusa was left alone…..if she had to fend for herself in this new cruel world…Usagi shuddered at the thought.

"I will try my best. I did take a few courses on child psychology back in the day, so I hope it will be useful…"

Makoto left the room and came back with a steaming bowl of noodles. She ushered Usagi over to the table and set the food down. "I am sure you are hungry. Here…Don't worry, Ami is very good at what she does, and your little sister will get better in no time."

Usagi's stomach growled loudly and she dove in. "Oh my gosh, fresh tomatoes. Where did you get this…"

Makoto sat down opposite of Usagi and beamed. "My dad used to have a garden and I learned how to grow stuff. I'll show you the garden tomorrow. Maybe you could help me out there too if you don't mind…"

Ami came over and put her arms around Makoto. "She's the electrician, farmer, AND chef of the group. This girl here is amazing." Ami pulled up a chair and sat down. "Anyway, Usagi, Chibiusa did need antibiotics. It started as a cold, but without the right medication, the infection spread and hence the high fevers. I just checked the loot and Michiru did find a huge stash of antibiotics. So, give her a few days and she will be good as new."

"Thank you, Ami."

Minako plopped down on an empty chair and started to clean her rifle. "So, Usagi, what's your kill count?"

"What?"

"How many zombies have you killed? How many people have you killed?" Minako carried on as if her questions were about what Usagi had for breakfast. She only glanced up when Usagi started to cough and choke on her noodles.

Usagi studied Minako's face to see if she was kidding. Killing people? Usagi had a hard enough time killing zombies, never mind innocent people. Perhaps she was lucky that she didn't have to, but she couldn't imagine herself pulling the trigger.

Before Usagi could answer, she felt a threatening presence behind her. Suddenly, a pair of hands pushed Usagi's head down and her hair was flipped over.

"What is that?" Rei demanded while pointing at the wound.

"Hey, what are you doing.." Makoto stood up. Minako pushed Mako back, then gripped the rifle and aimed it at Usagi.

"Ami, get over here. Does that look like a bite mark to you?" Rei tightened her grip on Usagi.

Usagi felt her heart pounding and as she looked up, she found herself staring down the barrel of Minako's rifle.

Haruka and Michiru showed up at the doorstep, followed by Setsuna.

The resident scientist and the doctor gathered around Usagi's wound and studied it. "It does look like a bite mark…."

Before Ami could finish her sentence, Haruka drew her sword and placed the cold blade against Usagi's neck.

"Don't worry, we will take care of your little sister….sorry we have to do this….."


	3. There's Another Way

**Chapter 3- There's Another Way**

"WAIT!" The usually soft-spoken doctor yelled. Everyone in the room was startled and stopped momentarily.

At a flash, Makoto ran straight at Haruka and flung the katana out of the way. Angered, Haruka stood up and swung a left hook. Makoto dodged and sent a punch straight into the blonde's gut. Ami stretched out her arms and stood in front of Usagi, intensively staring at Minako and Rei. With the rifle still raised, Minako slowly advanced.

"Get out of the way, Ami. She could turn any minute! Get! Out! Of! The! Way!"

Rei drew her hunting knife and got ready in a fighting pose.

"STOP! STOP! EVERYONE JUST STOP!" Usagi's desperate scream echoed through the house. "Please… just stop." She collapsed to the floor sobbing.

Ami glanced back at her old friend but kept her protective stance. "Everyone, please just calm down. I saw the wound; it is at least a week old. Something weird is going on here. Maybe it was a bite from an uninfected human?"

She turned towards Setsuna but the other one merely shook her head. "The wound was infected. It was a zombie bite. Although I did see some healing around the edges, which was something I've never seen before."

"Setsuna, what did your data say?" Ami's heart pounded fiercely. Half of her was scared that her instinct might be wrong, and her old friend here would jump up and chew her neck off. Half of her was hopeful, because if she was right, this would be the Holy Grail.

The older woman looked at Ami sadly and replied, "It was inconclusive still. For some people, it took as little as 24 hours for them to turn, usually correlated with people with suppressed immune system. For the majority, it could take anywhere from one day to a week. Then, there were two documented cases where they didn't turn for 8 days."

"Usagi, tell me when you were bitten…" Ami's voice shook a bit. Things weren't looking good, Haruka had managed to subdue Makoto, Minako and Rei's weapons were drawn, and with the damning data from Setsuna….Ami gulped.

Usagi wiped her tears and slowly stood up. "You guys don't have to fight. It doesn't matter when I was bitten. When it first happened, I locked myself in a separate room for three days. Chibiusa actually took care of me and passed me food and water under the door. When I eventually got better from the fever, I just assumed I was okay. If I had known I was still putting Chibiusa in danger…..I would've killed myself already. Now, I am putting all of you in danger."

She slowly walked back to the couch and bent down to kiss her younger sister. "Please take care of her when I am gone. I will leave now and go back to my house. I will lock the doors and windows so that I won't hurt anyone when I turned. Michiru and Haruka, thank you for saving us. Ami and Makoto, thank you for trying."

* * *

 _Thud._ Something heavy was put down on the table. With her back turned to the group, Usagi stopped in her track and held her breath. She wasn't ready to die yet…..

Setsuna cleared her throat. "Everyone, stop fighting. I have a better solution for this."

Ami's arms went down as everyone lowered their weapons. Haruka let go of her grip and Makoto stumbled out from the chokehold, coughing as she touched her sore neck.

Setsuna came forward and gently led Usagi back to the couch and sat her down. "Look, we are not bad people but sometimes, in extreme cases, we have to do things we don't want to. You see, before you arrived, there was another boy we rescued. We were inexperienced and we thought we had it under control. When he was bitten, Ami brought him back here and tried to heal him. We didn't kill him until he turned…and it almost got one of us in the end. It was too close a call…"

Nodding slowly, Usagi looked down. She wasn't blaming them. Compared to these girls, she was such an apocalypse rookie. She thought she was all better when the fever was gone, but she didn't think that it would still be a possibility for her to turn.

"So, what is your proposal?" Usagi looked uneasily at the giant shackles on the dining table.

"If we let you go now, you will die. Simple as that. If you stay and let me lock you up in a room, we can wait to see if you will turn or not. Granted, we have never heard of anybody not turning into a zombie after a bite, but then again, without access to the usual information network, there was no way to tell for sure. Meanwhile, Ami and I could study you a bit, and maybe figure out why your wound was showing signs of healing…" Setsuna smiled slightly.

"What if I turn inside the house? Will those hold me?" Usagi looked at the group and saw fear in everyone's eyes. She thought of Chibiusa, and the little girl sleeping upstairs.."Maybe I should just leave…"

"We will take turns guarding the door. Ami and Setsuna will focus on the research. " Minako finally spoke up. She walked over with the shackles and tossed them to Usagi.

The room fell into awkward silence as the shackles clicked loudly as they locked. Usagi felt the extra weight and felt better. There was no way she could break out of these, Chibiusa and everyone would be safe.

"It's only for a little while, Usagi." Ami patted her on the back.

Usagi nodded and flashed a big smile at everyone. "Everything will be okay. I know." The smile faded as she turned and followed Minako to her new cell.


	4. How I Met a Genius

**Chapter 4-How I Met A Genius**

"How is Usagi?" Makoto asked as she passed Ami in the hallway. She leaned down and gave her girlfriend a quick kiss. "When are we letting her out? It has been a week."

Ami smiled and her eyes glinted. "Soon. Setsuna and I had been analyzing her blood and we are certain it has antibodies for the zombie virus. It is also two weeks since her bite and she hasn't turned yet. Anyway, I am gonna get these blood to Setsuna."

Makoto breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I am on lunch duty today. Usagi said she hasn't have dumplings since the beginning, so I made her some."

"Aww...smells good." Ami's stomach growled. "Where is mine?"

"Already sitting on your desk, love. Anyway, I won't hold you up. Oh, don't forget, I am teaching you to fight later today..."

"I don't really need to, do I? When my girlfriend already has her black belt..." Ami teased slightly.

"Be there...or I will have to punish you." Makoto winked. The lovebirds said their goodbye and Mako continued down towards Usagi's room.

Mako chuckled to herself as she thought back to the day she met Ami. The day when the apocalypse turned into something survivable. She was about ready to give up when she encountered that blue hair girl...

* * *

"What do you have in that bag? Lower it slowly..." A middle-aged man raised his knife and stared down at the scared girl.

"It's just books, nothing else." Ami held up one hand, while the other slowly lowered the backpack.

After a quick search, the man tossed the bag down on the ground. "No food? That's impossible. Where is your camp?" The man made a quick whistle and two more men came out from the bushes.

One of them glanced at Ami and smiled. "We don't have any females in our group. How are we going to repopulate Earth if we don't have women? She looks young...and..."

Before the man could finish his sentence, a figure leapt down from the tree and a swift kick hurled the man a few feet away from where he stood.

Mako had been observing from the tree, reluctant to get involved until it was necessary. The other two lunged themselves at Mako, but the tall girl tossed them aside like garbage.

She turned back and saw Ami hugging her bag and trying to make herself seemed smaller. Her blue eyes stared back, sizing up Mako. Friend or foe? She seemed to ask.

Mako flashed her a friendly smile as she punched the last guy standing and then kick him again for good measure. "Women are not things, you little fucker. Get out of here..,before I change my mind..." She brought out her shiny new knife and waved it around. The man clutched his injured manhood and whimpered as he ran away...

Mako bent down and picked up the remaining books. "Mechanics? Cooking? Romance novel? Girl, you need to get your priority straight. Most people are hoarding food, but you are hoarding books?"

Ami took the books and blushed. "These are more valuable to me. I do have some canned food if you want payment for saving my life."

Mako raised her eyebrows and then let out a laugh. A laugh that surprised the both of them. "I don't want payment, but it would be an honor for me to escort you back...wherever you came from..."

Ami's face turned a darker shade of red. She glanced up quickly and then look down again. "I don't have anywhere to go. My apartment building was overran with crooks and zombies."

"That was fast...do you live in a rich area or something?"

Ami nodded. "Yeah...everyone seemed to have the same idea that we would have valuable things to steal...except that money and commodity meant nothing in this new world.. Where do you live?"

"In the park. I keep to myself. No one to trust but you strike me as a good person. Say, do you want to be apocalypse buddies?"

A faint smile was detected on Ami's face, then it quickly disappeared. "I am not much of a fighter, I might slow you down. Actually, I have never hit anything or anyone in my entire life..so I am an unnecessary baggage for you..." Before the small girl could finish, Mako took her hand and start dragging her along.

"Okay, smarty pants. I am not much of a thinker and you seemed smart. So there, my stupidity might slow you down too. Stop worrying so much, we might die tomorrow anyway. At least, we can keep each other company until then. Come, I know a restaurant off a beaten path and there might be food left..."

* * *

Usagi heard footsteps and scrambled out of bed. "Mako, is that you?"

"Hey Usagi, I have a surprise for you..." Mako opened the bottom half of the door and slid the tray in.

Usagi looked down at the precious food and let out a squeal. She could hear Mako chuckling on the other side.

"Oh, I love cooking for you. Your reactions are just the best, music to my ears..." Mako laughed again.

As Usagi proceed to stuff the dumplings into her mouth, she quickly got the update on Chibiusa, as well as Ami's research.

"Chibiusas is much better now. I am trying to cook a variety of things so that she can get her strength back. Ami said that Chibiusas was malnourished." Mako opened the rest of the door and plopped herself down at the doorway.

"Hey, you are not supposed to do that." Usagi walked a few steps back.

Mako waved her hand nonchalantly. "Don't worry. Ami is going to let you out soon. Plus, I hate talking to you through the door. So, want me to continue my storytelling?"

"Yes," Usagi said excitingly. It had been her only source of entertainment as of late, Mako telling her how everyone met.

"Okay, so where was I? Oh right...so after we decided to keep each other company, we drifted through the city. Being a homeless kid before the apocalypse came in handy. I knew all the places where I could scavenge for food and all the safe spots to rest."

"Mako," Usagi opened her mouth but decided not to ask the question. She had been wondering a while now why Mako was homeless. "Never mind, keep going."

Mako tilted her head and looked at Usagi. Then she smiled and nodded. "It's okay. You are wondering why I didn't have a home. Well, my parents died in a plane accident when I was little. I was bounced around the foster system until one day I ran away. I came to Tokyo because it was the city where I could just disappear into the crowds."

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry." Tears welled up in Usagi's eyes. She knew now the loneliness that came with being an orphan, and to think Mako had to endure that for so many years before the apocalypse, Usagi felt her heart ached for her new friend.

The brunette waved her hand again as she smiled sadly. "It's okay. Anyway, so Ami and I stayed together for about a month before we ran into Rei and Minako."

"They scared me. What's their story?"

"Well, as you know, Ami wasn't much of a fighter. One day we ran into a group of zombies, about 10 to 15 of them." Mako's eyes grew dark as she remembered. "I was doing a pretty good job of taking them down while keeping Ami behind me. Neither of us noticed another zombie coming from behind. When she screamed...I knew one had gotten to her. I was battling four at the time still and I thought I had failed her."

"And I came along and put a bullet in that bastard's head." Minako appeared in the doorway. "Mako, why did you open the door?"

"Because I can so handle a zombie Usagi, if she turned. But, she won't turn anyway because Ami is almost done her research and Ami is certain Usagi is safe." Mako stood up and crossed her arms.

"Hi, Minako." Usagi waved timidly from where she stood.

The leader merely nodded and then walked away. "Mako, one of the solar panels stopped working. You might want to check it out later."

"I will." Mako then turned to Usagi. "Yeah, Rei and Minako are intense. They were already together when we met them. But, once you get to know them, you will find that they are not as scary as they looked. My gosh, Minako is literally the biggest goofball I've ever seen. You just have to earn their trust, that's all."

"Goofball? Really?"

"Yup, one time we went out for a supply run and she came back with a bag of porn. She proceeded to decorate Haruka and Michiru's bedroom with cover images of the DVDs. Or, that time she fed a ball of wasabi to Setsuna, telling her it was green tea ice cream. If she hadn't chosen police as a career, she might make it as a comedian or a clown..."

Usagi couldn't help but smile a little. "I am glad we found you guys...like you said, we all need to stick together in an apocalypse right?"

Mako nodded and patted Usagi on the head. "Anyway, I better go check out that panel, Minako keeps a pretty tight ship around here. Hang in there, Usagi."

Usagi smiled and waved goodbye to her new best buddy as the door swung close. When the lock clicked, her smile evaporated. Could they all make it through this apocalypse?


	5. One Peaceful Morning

**Chapter 5-One Peaceful Morning**

Minako raised her hand and peeked through the cracks of her fingers. The sun just rose, bringing new warmth to the still chilly dawn. She could see Rei sitting on top of the roof, also looking dreamily at the beautiful sky.

Minako climbed up the long ladder to the roof and walked over to the make-shift watch tower.

"Can't wait to sleeeeep," Rei stretched lazily. She gathered up her binoculars and a box of newly made arrows and leaned over to kiss her girlfriend.

"Sorry you had to take the night shift again," Minako set down her thermos and her long range rifle, "I will make it up to you, someday..."

Minako chuckled as Rei's eyes went from sleepy to excitement. "How will you repay me, Aino Minako?"

"I don't know yet. Anyway, get your ass down there and eat something before you sleep." Minako ordered. Rei made a silly salute sign and stuck her tongue out.

Minako sat down on the towel and returned her attention to the horizon. She could see into every direction, the road leading back to the city, the forest that held both beauty and death traps, and the gentle ocean. Down below, the others had already risen and carried on with their morning routines.

Hotaru was playing with the new kid on the beach. Chibiusa was drawing in the sand and doing most of the talking. Hotaru nodded and gestured in response, still silent as usual. The pink hair girl passed the stick to the other girl and gestured her to join in. Timidly, Hotaru grabbed the stick.

"Ahhhh…" A scream came from the shore and Minako grabbed her rifle. She relaxed when she saw it was just Michiru chasing Ami through the water, holding an amazingly large crab. Ami turned around and started to splash water, all the while laughing. The sound was contagious and Minako could feel the side of her lips turned up to a smile. Their fun was interrupted when Setsuna came out, waving a piece of paper. Ami's smile evaporated and she quickly followed Setsuna back into the house.

Michiru dropped the crab into her basket, along with two other fish she caught earlier. She then strutted over to where Haruka was. No surprise, Haruka was working on her car, fixing it over and over. MInako looked on, dreamily, as Michiru clung her wet body against Haruka. Soon, those two started to make out.

"Wow, Mako. This is AMAZING." A high pitch squeal came from the garden and Minako turned her head towards it. It was Usagi, bouncing like a rabbit and squealing with joy as she walked through the rows of vegetables. Mako's face was beaming with pride.

Usagi. Minako had a hard time figuring her out. Despite the situation, this newcomer was weirdly cheerful. At first, Minako thought she must be faking it, but now, she was certain Usagi was just a hopeful person. Within days, Minako started to notice that everyone around her was happier, more relaxed. As perplexing as it was, Minako could feel her falling under the curse as well. The curse of feeling hope…..

Minako had tossed that feeling aside a long time ago, ever since the day when all hell broke loose…..

* * *

"So, how do I look?" Minako put on her brand new police uniform and twirled in front of her girlfriend.

Rei looked at her up and down, "very police-like. I am slightly disturbed at how turned on I am. You are making me objectifying you."

Minako smirked. "How about now?" She slowly unbuttoned the first two buttons and leaned forward, giving Rei an unobstructed view of her cleavage.

Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the building. The door was flung open and Minako's superior came charging in.

"Officer Aino...the station is under attack. Go to the armory and get us the long range rifles and more ammo." He tossed the keys at her and then took off.

Rei walked over to the window and looked down. "What the hell are those things?" She backed away slowly, her eyes wide with fear. Minako quickly peeked out and her face paled.

"I don't know. Stay here. I will be right back." Minako took off running. She just saw Motoki unload his entire clip into this man, but the man kept on getting up. She fumbled with the keys, feeling unease creeping up inside of her. She just graduated and it was her first day of being a police officer. She should be handing out parking tickets to people, not grabbing firearms and getting ready for battle…..

Snatching a nearby trolley, Minako started loading it up. Guns, rifles, a sniper rifle and a few dozen boxes of ammo. There seemed to be about 10 to 15 attackers and they must be wearing some superb bulletproof vests. Minako decided to grab a rifle for herself, just in case. Shotguns might be useless against them.

On the way out, Minako bumped into Rei. "I told you to stay put." She gripped Rei's sleeve and started to shove her back to the office.

"Minako, listen to me. Something isn't right here. I saw five officers getting bit by those attackers. Maybe you should sit this one out, let the experienced ones take care of this..."

Minako pushed pass Rei and got into the elevator. "I will be fine. I graduated at the top of my class and I got perfect on my marksmanship." She winked at her girlfriend as the elevator doors closed.

Minako's hands shook as she loaded up her weapons. She could hear the gunfire outside, just beyond the doors. With her heart racing fiercely, Minako took a deep breath and stepped out.

What followed was a brutal shootout with the attackers and the police station quickly turned into a slaughterhouse. Soon, the police called for retreat and they scrambled. Minako watched with horror as the attackers settled down to eat the dead bodies.

"No, this is impossible. Zombies are not real..." Minako tried to rationalize it in her head as she ran upstairs to save Rei.

Minako's train of thought was interrupted when she spotted a few undead approaching the kids on the beach. She rang the bell twice to alert them and then raced down the ladder to help. With only a few zombies, she didn't want to risk firing her gun and drawing more undead here.

* * *

Usagi was in the garden when she heard Chibiusa's scream. She dropped everything and raced towards the beach.

Michiru was already there, fighting off the monsters, along with Haruka. Hotaru was standing motionless, clearly in shock. Chibiusa was urging her to run, tugging on the other girl's hand.

Usagi widen her eyes as she saw another zombie coming from the other direction. His rotten arms were inches away from the girls. Without thinking, Usagi ran straight at him and threw her body against the zombie.

"Haruka! Michiru! Grab the girls and run..." Usagi struggled to sit up but was pinned down. The remaining zombies saw an easy prey and started to walk toward her.

T'chi. An arrow came flying through and struck the zombie in the temple. He slumped over and fell on Usagi. The arrows kept on flying until all the undead laid dead. Usagi looked up in shock and saw Rei firing from her second-floor window.

Haruka came over and moved the bodies off of Usagi. "That was very brave of you. And stupid."

"Sorry. I didn't know what to do..." Usagi brushed off the sand and then head over to Chibiusa. "Are you okay?"

The little girl nodded and wiped the tears off her face. Then her face paled as she saw blood running down Usagi's arm.

Usagi followed her gaze and yelped as she saw a long gashing wound on the side of her right arm.

Minako came over and raised Usagi's hand. "Let's get you to the lab. Ami or Setsuna can patch you up. Let's hope that's not a zombie scratch..."


	6. The Zombie in the Fridge

**Chapter 6 – The Zombie in the Fridge**

Setsuna took off her glasses and rubbed her temples. She must have been reading for too long, the words were getting blurry now.

 _Thud._ He was slamming against the fridge door again.

Setsuna got up and went over to her mice cage. With a long tong, she picked one out and dropped it through the hole on top of the fridge. He accepted it happily and devoured it within seconds.

He looked up with his empty eyes and stared at Setsuna.

She placed one hand on the glass door and stared back. "So, humanity might survive after all. One day, maybe I can save you too. You don't have to be a monster that much longer."

An abrupt knock came from the door and then it was pushed open. Minako came in with a bloodied Usagi.

Excited to see new people in the lab, the zombie in the fridge started to claw at the glass again, begging for more food. Usagi turned and let out a loud yelp.

"What happened?" Setsuna put on her glasses and bent down to look at the wound.

"She was fighting off a zombie and that scratch might come from it. Do you think she will turn?" Minako paced around the room.

Setsuna got out the med kit and started to dress the wound. "I doubt it. If a bite doesn't turn her, then a scratch probably won't. Ami and I can run another blood test later."

"What have you guys find so far? The two of you have been so mysterious about this, holding up here for days and not tell us anything. That is not okay!" Minako raised her voice, causing the zombie to jump again in the fridge. "Ah, keep a leash on your pet. I don't understand why you put him on display while the others are down in the cellar."

"We will tell you once we have the answer. It is all speculation at this point and we don't want to get everyone's hopes up." Setsuna answered calmly. "As for him, he is special."

"Whatever. I will be on the roof if you need me." Minako waved and left the lab.

"Thanks, Setsuna." Usagi smiled at her. "Do you really think I will be okay? I don't mind locking me up in that room again until this clears."

Setsuna merely shook her head as she continued to tend to the wound. Usagi looked away from her arm, feeling woozy from seeing all the blood. Her eyes fell on the restless zombie instead.

"Who is he? He's someone you know, isn't he?"

He had quiet down again but he seemed to be watching the both of them.

"When it all happened, he and I survived together for a while until he was killed. We worked together at the infectious disease center." Setsuna replied in an even voice, but a slight quiver betrayed her emotions.

Usagi nodded. Leaning closer, she squinted her eyes. "Chiba...Mamoru. Is that his name?"

A sad smile flashed across Setsuna's face. "He loved that lab coat, so I didn't have the heart to take it off of him. He said it reminded him why his work was important. When the apocalypse hit, everyone else left to look for their families. I was abandoned as a baby so I had no reason to go out there. Neither did he." Setsuna replaced the scissors in the medkit, stood back and looked at the finished dressing, before nodding to herself, satisfied. "I'm not Dr. Mizuno, but this should hold."

" What about his family?" Usagi stood up and walked closer to the fridge. She put a hand on the door and Mamoru raised his hand to meet hers.

"He was an orphan. His parents died in a car accident years ago. Mamoru was hell bent on keeping up with the research and hoping that we could find the cure for this disease. We worked non-stop." Setsuna walked over to the shelf and pulled out a thick binder. "In the early days, we knew nothing. How did it spread? What were the symptoms? What can the zombies do? Did they retain any intelligence? Memories? Everything we know now, we owe it to him."

Usagi flipped through the pages and tears ran down her face. The last few pages were smeared with blood. On the last page, it was an entry by him. "Keep going, Setsuna. Use my body for research after I turn. Love, Mamoru."

Setsuna leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. "It happened so fast...I couldn't get to him in time. After he was bitten, he made his way back and chained himself to the wall. Each day, he made entries about his symptoms and physiological changes. He lasted a few days and then before he turned, he got himself secured into that fridge. Mamoru knew he was dying but he still made sure that I would be safe in the lab and that I could continue to observe and study him."

"How did you move the fridge here?" Usagi stepped closer to the fridge and started to sway her head side to side, fascinated as Mamoru mirrored her movement.

"A lot of convincing, I was out scavenging for food when I ran into trouble. Michiru and Haruka saved me and brought me here. I had to convince them to steal a truck and to help me move him here. I told them it was for science, but that was just the half truth. I just….I just needed him."

Usagi got up and pulled Setsuna into a hug. "I am so sorry you had to go through that."

Stunned, Setsuna initially stiffened. Then, her body softened and she returned the hug. When Mamoru died, she didn't cry. The love of her life was snuffed out by a single bite. She didn't have the time or luxury to have emotions. Work needed to be done. Humanity needed saving. As she felt Usagi's warmth wrapped around her, she finally allowed herself to feel. For the first time, Setsuna allowed herself to grieve. She sobbed and sobbed as Usagi held on to her…...

* * *

 _A.N._

 _Apologies to any Mamoru fans that might be reading this, I had to turn someone into a zombie. At least, I gave him a heroic death, no?_


	7. Supply Run

**Chapter 7- Supply Run**

"No way! Don't even think about it." Haruka tossed the wrench back into the tool box and closed the hood.

"Please? I just want to help, and I want to learn. Mako had been teaching me some basic self-defense moves and well, I am very good at running away. Pleaseeeeee..." Usagi clasped her hands together and begged.

Mako shrugged. "I don't mind if she tags along, Haruka. Quite frankly, one more person means one more person to carry more stuff. Also, Usagi, I will protect you."

Haruka looked back and forth between the two, chewing over the risks of having an inexperienced person on the supply run team. She would much rather do it with Michiru, but Hotaru spiked a fever and Michiru wanted to stay behind. Bad things could happen  
in a split second out there and Usagi would be the weakest link that could drag the whole team down.

"Why do you want to go so bad?" Mako asked.

Usagi looked down. "I feel like I haven't contributed enough. I do know these runs are dangerous and you guys are risking your lives each time you go out. How can I just sit back and watch?"

"Fine." Haruka looked at the short blonde girl and felt more perplexed than ever. Perhaps she had misjudged Usagi. Not quite the princess she thought Usagi was. "But you listen to us. Don't wander off, stay close and be quiet."

"Yay." Usagi let out a squeal. "Okay, so which mall are we going to?"

Haruka rolled her eyes and got into the car. Right, still a princess.

Soon, the trio said their goodbyes to the others and were on their way to the city center. First priority was fuel and food. Mako also needed some tools and spare parts for the solar panel repair.

Haruka concentrated on the road as Mako and Usagi chatted non-stop in the back seat. "Hey, Princess, this is not a field trip, you know."

"I am not a princess." Usagi pouted. Mako shot a death stare at Haruka.

Haruka stayed silent for the rest of the way. She didn't know why she wanted to pick on the blonde so much. The numerous nicknames she had for her was kind of silly. Princess, little kitten, Odango...

Michiru had accused Haruka of having a crush on her the other day. "Why do you tease Usagi so much? She is not weak, you know. For someone to survive for that long by herself, while taking care of a little girl, that takes a lot of strength and courage.  
Maybe you have a crush on her..."

"I do not!" Haruka could feel her face burning up. "Michi, I love you. You are the only one..."

"Okay. Quite frankly, I am not surprised if everyone here has a little crush on that girl." Michiru winked and laughed as Haruka's face kept on getting redder. "Maybe next time, we should invite her to our private meeting..."

Haruka shook her head violently. Michiru continued to tease and joke about this for the next hour. The usually cool and composed Haruka was at a complete loss for words.

"Hey, earth to Haruka. You missed the exit." Mako tapped on her shoulder, jolting her out of her memory lane.

Groaning internally, Haruka did a wide u-turn and smoothly rejoined the other lane. She flipped her hair and looked at the rearview mirror. Damn. Usagi didn't notice her awesome driving.

* * *

Usagi waited patiently in the car, as she watched Mako and Haruka checking the other abandoned cars. It looked disgusting, as they used their mouths to siphon out any remaining fuels.

She kept her eyes on the surroundings, in case if there were any zombies. She was determined to prove her worth and she would help out in the best way she could.

Mako looked back from time to time, checking to see if she was okay in the car. Usagi waved and smiled, reassuring her friend everything was fine. Haruka still had her permanently- annoyed face on and she seemed tense. She glanced back once and then quickly  
looked away. Usagi felt sad that Haruka still didn't trust her.

"Okay, let's go to the hardware store next. It's two blocks south of here." Mako instructed. Haruka acknowledged it with a simple nod.

When the strip mall came into view, Usagi felt a sense of nostalgia. Besides the hardware store was the department store, where she had spent many hours hanging out with her friends. Naru, Umino. There was also that one time where she managed to drag  
Ami out for shopping.

"Hey, Mako. See that store over there? Ami and I went shopping there once. They have some really cute stuff."

Mako chuckled. "I can't imagine her in a mall. I see her as the cram-school-type of girl, am I right?"

"She skipped once. Peer pressure." Usagi laughed, which was quickly shushed by Haruka.

"Okay, cut the chitchat. Once we get out of the car, we need to be as quiet as possible. We may be able to handle some random zombies, but I don't want to run into a herd, okay?" Haruka swung a duffle bag over her shoulder and got out of the car.

Mako's face turned serious as well. She handed two knives to Usagi and told her to stay close. Usagi gulped nervously and nodded.

They ran swiftly but silently to the entrance. Haruka led the way while Mako stayed behind Usagi. Sandwiched between the two fighters, Usa felt slightly safer.

Once they were inside, the feeling of safety was gone. The hardware store was bigger than she had imagined. With rows of aisles and numerous blind spots, Usagi's heart raced again.

Suddenly, to the far side of the store, a shelf toppled over. They could hear the moans of zombies and someone fighting.

"We should go help him." Usagi urged. She could hear that person running, as the moans followed him.

"Shit! Looks like we have to fight. He's leading the zombies this way..."Haruka took out her katana. "Looks like you get your wish again, princess."

A guy with an unusually long ponytail was dashing towards them. His eyes widened as he saw the group. "Run. Run."

"I see ten…..." Mako counted. "I can take them." Without waiting for an answer, Mako ran straight at them and swung her newly scavenged crowbar.

"Wait...fuck..." Haruka shook her head and joined in on the fight.

The guy stopped running and turned back. Seeing how the two strangers were helping, he looked around for a weapon.

"I will borrow this. Thanks." The guy grabbed the knives out of Usagi's hands and joined in.

Usagi clutched her heart as she watched them fight. Blood spewed everywhere, and on occasion, some random body parts from all the hacking. She was horrified but she couldn't tear her eyes away. Suddenly, she spotted another crowd coming in, drawn by the  
fighting noises.

"Hey...there is more..." Usagi tried to whisper and shout at the same time. They were too occupied to hear the warning.

The new zombies were closing in, their sharp claws inches away from her friends. Usagi looked around desperately. She should fight...

It was then she spotted a round saw blade. She picked it up and it was the size of a frisbee. Usagi felt confidence she had never felt before...

"Guys, duck!" Usagi yelled as she threw the saw blade. It flew out in a nice arc and zipped went through five zombies.

Haruka and Mako finished their last kills and stood up. With their mouths hung wide open, they stared at the five heads rolled away. The guy made a low whistle as he wiped the knives clean.

"I did it. I can't believe I did it." Usagi was somewhere between horrified and proud at the moment.

The guy came over and handed the knives back. "That was super impressive. Thanks. By the way, my name is Seiya. What's yours?"

* * *

 _A.N._

 _Moon Tiara Action. Enough said!_


	8. Seiya, the Handsome Boy

**Chapter 8- Seiya, the Handsome Boy**

Standing amidst the carnage of zombie bodies, in a run-down store, Seiya felt something familiar. The girl that stood in front with the kindest eyes, with a smile that could melt million hearts, Seiya felt a sense of déjà vu. Those odangos...

"Get away from her. No thanks to you, we had to fight." The butch blonde waved her bloody katana and hissed her words.

The odangogirl quickly stepped in and held the butch back. She turned and extended her hand, accompanied with, once again, the friendliest smile Seiya had ever laid eyes on. "Hi, my name is Usagi. This is Haruka and this is Mako. Are you alone?"

Seiya took her hand and felt little sparks of electricity flowing between them. The warmth in that hand stirred something deep inside. Ba-dum. The heart skipped a beat.

Suddenly, the forgotten memory came and tears welled up in Seiya's eyes. "It was you...it was you that saved me two months ago."

"What?!" Usagi's eyes widened.

"When all hell broke loose, everyone was just out looking after themselves. I never expected any kindness from a stranger, but you showed me more than kindness. You gave me hope." Seiya wiped some tears away, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"I am sorry, but I don't remember you..." Usagi apologized.

"Remember at the Ozeki supermarket? Everyone was raiding the store, and a big guy held a knife to my throat and took my bag. You saw the whole thing. Anyway, in the frenzy, I was knocked over and almost got stomped to death by the crowd. You came out  
of nowhere and pulled me to safety. Then, you split your loot in half and gave them to me. I didn't even get a chance to say thank you, but you were gone in a flash. All I remembered was your odongo hair."

Usagi blushed profusely and laughed. "Oh, I remember you. Sorry, I had to get back to my little sister so I was in a rush. That was a crazy stampede, wasn't it?"

"Hate to interrupt this little reunion, Usagi, but we are on a tight schedule if we want to make it back within two days. We need to find a place to hunker down for the night and then go back tomorrow. It was nice to meet you, Seiya." Mako gathered up  
all the materials she needed and dropped them into her duffle bag.

"Come to my dump. Ever since my brothers died, I am just by myself. I haven't talked to anyone in ages, my voice felt weird." Seiya offered generously.

Haruka and Mako looked at each other, worried and hesitant.

"It's not far from here. I promise I won't bite." Seiya winked at Usagi.

Caught off guard by how flirty Seiya was, Usagi blushed again. Haruka immediately stepped in between the two. "Fine. If you try anything, I will personally drive this thing into your head. Got it?"

"Same goes for you. If you try anything or steal anything, I will fight back with all I got." Seiya smirked. "I have gotten quite good at fighting. Come, Usagi, I will be your bodyguard."

The sun was starting to set when the group exited the mall and head toward Seiya's place.

* * *

Seiya took off the jacket and plopped down on the bed. "So, welcome to my place. Nothing much to see. The water bucket on the balcony is for washing. It's rain water, so I wouldn't drink directly from it."

Usagi looked around and felt sadness welling up inside of her. She could see pictures of Seiya's brothers everywhere.

"Taki and Yaten. They used to do the runs themselves and they didn't let me go out. I was the youngest and they were protective. That was what got them killed. I could've helped..." Seiya got up from the bed and picked up one of the pictures.

"I am so sorry. You have no one else?"

Seiya shook his head sadly. "We came to Tokyo, just the three of us last year. My parents still lived in Canada. There is no way to know if they are alive or not."

Usagi looked at Seiya and then she looked at Haruka. "Maybe you can come with us? Haruka?"

"Hell no!"

"Usagi, I would follow you wherever you go and I would protect you. However, I don't think I can live with this ogre..." Seiya chuckled while pointing at Haruka.

With her face flushed red with anger, Haruka slammed down her fist. Mako quickly stepped in before it escalated.

"One more person does mean one more fighter. Seiya, how many zombies have you killed? How many people have you killed and why? Answer those and we will decide if you are a good fit for our family."

Seiya looked at the tall girl and thought for a moment. "A few dozen zombies. As for people, two. My brothers. They were turning and they asked me to kill them before they became monsters. Also, if I do join you guys, you will have a good connection to  
the trading post."

"THE trading post?" Usagi asked. She did hear rumors about it when she was living with Chibiusa. She had also heard some terrible stories about that place. Certainly not a place for girls...

"You bring in food or other essential items to the Juban shopping district. They will trade base on the values of your items. I know the four guys that are running the post." Seiya's face turned serious. "Okay.I am going to let you in on a secret, as  
my show of faith...don't think I am doing this for you, Haruka..."

Seiya stood up and unbutton his shirt. The bindings were visible now...

Usagi gasped. "You are a girl?" She still couldn't tear her eyes away from the handsome stranger. Half naked, with stunning abs. Usagi felt her heart racing...she quickly looked away when she caught Seiya's smirk.

"Like what you see?" Seiya let out another laugh when Usagi's face couldn't possibly get any redder.

"Anyway, my brothers were actually my sisters. We were already dressed as men before the apocalypse hit. We were discovered by this idol agency and they wanted us to pull off this gender-neutral look and be the next greatest boy band. Anyway, it was a  
convenient way to protect ourselves during an apocalypse. For the trading post, I've seen desperate girls and women selling their bodies in order to trade with those guys. It was horrible. They knew they had the power because they had everything from  
bullets to fuels." Seiya stuck up her nose in disgust.

Haruka was silent for a good while. Finally, she turned to Mako and Usagi, "if you guys feel like you can trust Seiya, then we can bring her in."

Usagi's face beamed and she ran over and gave Haruka a big hug. "I do. We should all stick together, I hate leaving anyone behind. It's horrible to be alone."

"The things I do for you, princess..." Haruka rubbed her temples. She gave Seiya another dirty look when Seiya smirked again. "What?"

"Looks like I have competition..." Seiya said as she put a hand on Usagi's shoulder.

"Haruka? No way..she has a wife, who is sooooooooo gorgeous by the way..." Usagi laughed.

"Oh, Seiya, do you think they will have medical equipment at the post? Ami mentioned that one of her equipment was broken and she needed a new one." Mako slapped a hand on her forehead, suddenly remembering her girlfriend's request.

"They said they have everything. I wouldn't be surprised. Although I would rather go raid a hospital then deal with those guys again." Seiya plopped down back on the bed and propped her head up.

Haruka sighed. "We need to get back tomorrow or they are going to come out to look for us. Raiding a hospital would need a lot of planning. Let's just go over there and see if they have it and what they want for as trade."

"In that case..." Seiya hooked a hand under her shirt and pulled out the binding. She threw it at Haruka, which caused Haruka to flinch in disgust.

"Ew, it's still warm."

"Butch up, Haruka. Tomorrow, we are going to take the motorcycles downstairs and we will go to the post. Best to leave the girls out of it. I hope you know how to ride one...if not, I am gonna have to teach you." Seiya said smugly.

Haruka rolled her eyes hard. "I used to be a racer. I might need to give you a few pointers..."

So, the two bois continued to bicker and argue late into the night. Usagi and Mako got bored of watching them and they retired to the couch. It was only the sight of Mako cuddling with Usagi that finally stopped those two.

Usagi had her eyes closed but her heart was still racing. She had a terrible feeling about tomorrow's side trip, but she kept it to herself. She could only hope that the rumors weren't true...


	9. Hotaru's Silence

**Chapter 9 Hotaru's silence**

Hotaru shivered and cowered under the table. A few feet away laid her father's body. "Papa..." The little girl whimpered as she watched the pool of blood expanded.

Gunfire was heard, just outside the building. Hotaru covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. Then, a loud explosion shook the entire building and the little girl screamed.

Everything seemed to be happening at once. The air was starting to get hot and smoke was creeping in. Hotaru was paralyzed. She knew what she had to do, but she couldn't move.

It was getting harder to breathe now. Hotaru gasped for air, as panic engulfed her entire body...

All of a sudden, everything seemed to shake. Things were falling off the shelves, windows were shattering...as if things couldn't get any worse, the dead body on the floor rolled over and got up.

"Papa?" Hotaru widened her eyes. She wanted to run into the safety of his arms, but his blank stare stopped her in her track.

Hotaru opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out...

Papa was only a few inches away now. He staggered and dragged his broken left leg behind, leaving a trail of blood. Closer and closer, Papa raised his arms and moved towards the little girl...

"Ahhhhhhhhh"

Hotaru jolted awake and opened her eyes. She turned and saw Chibiusa staring at her with concern.

"Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?" Chibiusa climbed onto the bed and gently coaxed Hotaru to lie down again.

Hotaru nodded. Still shivering, Hotaru pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulders. She had relived that night over and over in her dreams, but it was still scary each and every time.

"Do you want me to stay here with you?"

The traumatized girl nodded again. She grabbed onto Chibiusa's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Okay. Just a warning, I snore. If I am too loud, just kick me." Chibiusa laid down next to Hotaru. "Good night."

Hotaru closed her eyes and sighed with relief. Chibiusa put a hand on Hotaru's shoulder and started to gently pat her. Pretty soon, the two girls drifted off. Thankfully for Hotaru, it was a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Hotaru woke with a smile on her face. She put one hand on her forehead and realized her fever was gone. Next to her, Chibiusa was starting to wake, stirring and murmuring…..

She felt something under the blanket and she pulled it out. It was Chibiusa's stuffed animal. A black cat with a crescent moon on its forehead.

"Her name is Luna. Mama bought it for me for my 10th birthday." Chibiusa rubbed her eyes and then smiled. "She is my lucky charm and she keeps my nightmares away."

Hotaru smiled back and stroked Luna's soft fur. If only she was a real cat...

Just then, a gentle knock was heard and the door was pushed open. Michiru-mama poked her head in and gasped in surprise. "Chibiusa..."

"Good morning, Michiru." Chibiusa jumped out of bed and ran to gave the woman a big hug.

"Did Hotaru have the nightmares again? Did you keep her company for the whole night?"

"Yup. I chased the bad dreams away...I think." Chibiusa looked towards Hotaru for confirmation.

Hotaru nodded emphatically and then beamed at her new friend. She then quickly gestured to Michiru that her fever was gone and then pointed outside.

"You want to go out and play already?" Michiru-mama came over to double check. "Okay, young lady. You know what, maybe a little sun would do everyone some good. Let's pack up our breakfast and bring it outside? We can have a morning picnic."

"Yay." Chibiusa jumped up in excitement.

An hour later, the three of them laid on the beach and sighed happily. Michiru-mama had made some excellent breakfast and Hotaru rubbed her belly in contentment.

"Michiru, can we go over there and explore?" Chibiusa pointed to a patch of not-so -dense forest.

Michiru hesitated. "That might not be a good idea..."

Hotaru couldn't hide her disappointment. Truth was, she wanted to spend some alone time with Chibiusa and not to be watched over by an adult all the time. Her pout was not missed by her new mama and Michiru relented.

"Okay, don't go too far. Stay within shouting distance." Michiru said in her stern voice.

Hotaru nodded quickly. She grabbed Chibiusa's hands and started to run. Last time she was in the forest with Haruka-papa, she found a huge field of wildflowers. She thought of bringing a friend here, but she didn't have any back then.

"Where are we going?"

Hotaru looked back and winked. That special spot felt like paradise. It was so pretty and so peaceful, she couldn't wait for Chibiusa to experience it too.

When the flowers came into view, Hotaru turned around and beamed at her friend. She saw the wonder that appeared on Chibiusa's face and it filled her heart with joy.

"Wow. Wow." Chibiusa laughed as she ran through the field and started to chase a butterfly. Hotaru joined in.

For a brief moment, Hotaru felt like her old self again. She looked at her new friend and thought, maybe this new world wasn't too bad after all.

"Hotaru, look. Ladybugs. Oh, oh, I found worms." Chibiusa came running back, dangling the earthworm right in front of Hotaru.

She giggled and ducked away. She bent down to pick up a weird looking bug and was ready to chase Chibiusa down with the new creepy crawling. When she turned around, however, her face paled.

Chibiusa was gathering up a bouquet of flowers now. Distracted, she didn't notice the danger behind her.

Two zombies had staggered out of the forest. They were slowly walking towards Chibiusa. Hotaru ran towards her friend and waved her hands wildly.

Chibiusa looked up, smiled and waved back.

Hotaru shook her head and tried to wave her hands again. The zombies were getting closer. She couldn't get there in time...

"Run, Chibiusa. RUN!" The words tore out of her throat in desperation.

It took a full second for Chibiusa to get over her shock. She then turned and stared up at the monsters' faces.

The scream came and rocked the entire forest. Hotaru wasn't sure if it was hers or Chibiusa's.


	10. Silence, No More

**Chapter 10-Silence, No More**

Chibiusa spun around and found herself face to face with a zombie. The flesh was starting to rot and they hang on his outstretched arms. Half of his face was ripped off, revealing his skull and his jaws bloodied from previous feeds.

She could hear Hotaru screaming a few feet away. Chibiusa tried to run. She managed to get some distance before she tripped over something and landed hard on her face. The fall knocked the winds out of her and a bout of dizziness took over. The moans of the zombie was getting closer. As she tried to sit up, the monster pounced.

Chibiusa's arms shot out in self-defense, grabbing the zombies by the shoulders. He tried to extend his neck in order to get closer, his jaws and deathly stank inches away from the little girl's face.

Suddenly, a rock came flying and hit the zombie in the temple. Then another rock. The zombie fell to the side, off balanced. A hand grabbed Chibiusa and pulled her out of the death grip. "Run." Hotaru repeated.

The two girls took off, racing towards the beach. Up ahead, they could see Michiru and Rei coming towards them. To their horror, a new herd of zombies emerged from the forest, intercepting their reunion.

Chibiusa looked around. There was no way to get through the herd. She looked back at the other zombie slowly advancing. She looked up at the tree and an idea popped into her head.

"We have to climb up, Hotaru. Come on..." Chibiusa grabbed two rocks, stuffed them into her pockets and then started to scale the trunk. She turned back and extended her hand. "Come on, Hotaru...grab my hand."

In the rush of adrenaline, Chibiusa felt strength she never felt before. She gripped her friend's hand tightly and helped Hotaru get to the lower level of the branches.

Up above, safely concealed by some dense leaves, Chibiusa and Hotaru looked down on the herd. Michiru and Rei were surrounded, fighting fiercely against the waves of monsters. Hotaru let out a soft whimper.

Chibiusa scanned the area, trying to see if the others have come to help. The herd was getting bigger, the noise was intensifying...At this rate, they would lose both Michiru and Rei…..

Hotaru stopped whimpering and a new face settled in. Instead of the panic, Hotaru seemed calm.

"I was wrong, Chibiusa. I was wrong all along. The last thing Papa said to me before he died was 'be quiet'!"

"What are you talking about? Hotaru, what are you thinking? Please don't do anything stupid..."

Hotaru looked into Chibiusa's eyes and gave her a warm smile. "I am glad you are here, Chibi. You are my best friend and I love you. Please tell the others I love them too, especially Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa."

Chibiusa's heart sank. "Wait..." She tried to grab her friend's hand but she was too late. In a flash, Hotaru jumped down from the safety of the tree. She gave Chibiusa one final smile and then she ran, away from the herd.

"Hey...hey...over here...woohoo" Hotaru started to scream at the top of her lungs. Part of the herd heard and broke off.

Chibiusa took a deep breath and then jumped down as well. She hurled one rock at the zombie closest to Hotaru and he fell with a thud. Chibi took the chance and ran past him. Hotaru looked back in surprise.

"I am not letting you do this by yourself," Chibiusa yelled at Hotaru. "Now, let's make some noise.." Together, the two girls took off at their top speed, all the while screaming.

Michiru and Rei stared in horror as the zombies start to chase the little girls instead.

"No, Hotaru." Michiru flung her spear around and skewered a few zombies. She pulled it out and start running after the herd. Rei followed.

Chibiusa and Hotaru ran and stopped, ran and stopped, making sure the herd was following them. They could see the others fighting, clearing and thinning out the herd from behind. Chibiusa beamed at her friend, "it's working..."

As they approached a clearing in the forest, the girls stopped again and looked back. The zombies behind them were falling like dominos, no match to Michiru and Rei's relentless attacks.

Finally, the last one remaining slumped over, with the spear tip protruding through her head. A blood-soaked Michiru emerged from behind, panting and crying. She ran over and gave the two girls a huge hug.

Anger and relief flashed across her face. "Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again!"

Hotaru clung on to her mama tightly. "I am sorry, Michiru-mama."

Michiru gasped and new tears streaked down her face.

" I am sorry, I was wrong to stay silent. I was wrong to be afraid."

Michiru pulled Hotaru into her arms again, as she continued to sob. "No, honey. It is okay to be afraid. I am sorry I couldn't get to you sooner."

Chibiusa smiled and felt herself choking up. If only her mama was alive too... Rei seemed to have sensed that and pulled Chibiusa into her arms. "Come on, let's go home now... Usagi and the others should be home soon."


	11. Options

**Chapter 11-Options**

The sun was setting slowly in the horizon when the group made it back. Mako pulled the car into the driveway and turned the ignition off. Usagi was still sleeping, snoring slightly. She jerked awake when the loud motorcycles pulled up beside the car. Haruka pumped her fists, seemingly happy to have beaten Seiya by a margin.

The front gate opened and everyone came out to meet them. The group was scheduled to be back by noon, Mako wondered if Ami was worried. Sure enough, the blue hair girl dashed through and ran straight to Mako.

"Thank goodness. What happened?" Ami broke from the brief hug and looked at Mako.

"Well, we got side tracked. And yeah...something happened. We will have to talk about it as a group later."

Seiya strutted over to the group and extended her hand, "Hi, I am Seiya."

Rei narrowed her eyes and hissed. "I don't trust men, Haruka, who is he?"

"Oh, I see..." Seiya smirked and start to slowly unbutton her shirt.

Haruka rolled her eyes and continued to walk inside. "She's a woman. Stop stripping, no one wants to see that. Seiya is annoying but she is alright."

Ami arched an eyebrow and looked towards her girlfriend. Mako shrugged. "They've been arguing ever since they first met. For someone so similar to each other, they sure don't get along."

Michiru walked over and joined in on the gossip. "Haruka doesn't like popular "men"." She chuckled as she looked at Seiya up and down. "I am not bored..." With that, Michiru walked back into the house. "Dinner will be ready in five minutes. Come inside..."

Ami was about to follow suit but Mako pulled her in. She leaned down and graze her lips against Ami's. The blue hair girl melted into Mako's arms and returned the kiss. Few seconds later, they reluctantly parted.

"Something happened?" Ami repeated her question.

Mako nodded solemnly. The world just got uglier...

* * *

Soon, everyone settled down at the table. Hot dinner was served but Mako felt her appetite waning. She stared at the soup as she mindlessly stirred it. The tofu pieces swam around and around, pulling Mako in in a hypnotic state.

Mako had been lucky. She managed to find a group of friends that she could rely on. They had food, water and electricity. She even managed to find love during an apocalypse. What she learned today had made her feel guilty for having it all. Out there, less fortunate people had to go to certain extremes in order to survive.

When dinner was over, Haruka ushered Hotaru and Chibiusa to go upstairs. Certain adult things needed to be discussed. The girls happily left after receiving a bribe, in the forms of a stuffed animal and a miniature race car.

"Okay, so, we learn something new. In the Juban shopping district, some guys banded together and set up a trading post. Ami, Mako said that you were looking for some new lab equipment, right? Well, Seiya and I went there to see if we could trade for it. We went disguised as men, as suggested by her. Well, they are willing to trade if we give them four young women." Haruka shook her head as she recounted.

"What?!" Rei stood up abruptly, her face red with anger.

Seiya nodded sadly. "Apparently, they have a good escort business going on until their four sex workers wanted out. So, they are in desperate need for a replacement. They claimed that those women willingly accepted the job, in exchange for food and security. From the rumors on the street, they have more than just four workers and they use girls as young as 14."

"What a load of bull." Minako pulled out her gun and started to clean it. "I want them to willingly take a bullet in their heads."

Usagi shook her head violently. "We are not talking about killing people right? You guys can't be serious."

"What about the poor women they are exploiting? Shouldn't we try to save them? Sometimes, killing is justified." Haruka said coldly.

Mako's heart raced as she listened to everyone argue. When she first heard about it, she wanted to just go charging in and kill those bastards. Usagi spent a good amount of time talking her down. Her heart broke when she saw how upset Usagi was by all this.

"...I am not saying we turn a blind eye. We have to save those women too. Bring them here if we have to. I just don't think killing people is the answer. Those four guys that ran the post, they were just normal people like us." Usagi continued to plead.

"So, what is your brilliant plan to save everyone, including the wretched souls of those scumbags?" Rei walked over and stared down at Usagi.

"Well, why don't we throw them into the prison? Or at least have a fair trial for them? Minako is a cop, she can arrest them." Usagi suggested.

Minako let out a roaring laugh. "You are so naive. Okay, let's say we do throw them into jail, then what? I don't want to waste food and resources on them. We also risk the chance that they might get out, hunt us down and kill us in revenge."

Tears welled up in Usagi's eyes. "I just don't believe in killing people. There must be another way..."

Setsuna cleared her throat and the room fell into silence. "So, we have three options. One, we go in, guns blazing and kill them all. Then save the women and take the medical equipment. Two, we capture the guys and hold them captive. Three, we give them what they want. They want four women, we have four women."

Setsuna held up her hand as the group started to react. "Wait, hear me out. We can send four of our strongest fighters in, posing as sex workers. We need to disguise ourselves so that they don't recognize us, hence eliminating the possibility of retaliation. Michiru, your bags of back-up make up will come in handy. Then we free the women and grab what we needed."

"That is very risky," Michiru said, echoing the sentiments of the majority in the room. "But, the third option is probably our best bet. If we go in, guns blazing in a killing rampage, we don't know what kind of weapons we would be facing. With the third option, at least we can get eyes into the camp first. Seiya, how well do you know their layouts?"

"Well, the district is still pretty much the same except a new fence surrounding it. Gates were reinforced. Usually, two guards at the front gate. Inside, I don't know how many exits, or how much firearms they have. Kunzite, the leader, called himself the general. He was part of the army's response team to the zombie crisis back in the day. I imagined he probably stockpiled a whole bunch of guns and rifles." Seiya got up and ripped a page from a nearby sketchpad. She roughly sketched out the layouts. "I went in there twice, to trade for motorcycle parts. Back then, trade price was a tank of fuel."

"Alright, all in favor of option three, don't kill if you don't have to. I am sorry, Usagi, but if it's necessary, I would defend my own life with all I've got," Haruka said as she raised her hand. Usagi nodded, as she raised her hand as well. It was a unanimous decision.

"I will be one of the undercovers." Ami volunteered.

Mako whirled her head around. "No, Ami. It's too dangerous. Plus, you are a doctor, you are unexpendable. I'll go."

"Yeah, Ami, stay. Don't worry, Minako and I will go and make sure Mako is okay. You trust our abilities right?" Rei put a hand on Ami's shoulder.

Mako pleaded with Ami silently in her head. She knew that look. Once Ami's mind was made...

"I am going. I know what the centrifuge looks like and I can get out of there faster. Steal it and then go." Ami tried to give Mako a half smile.

"What if you are caught? If you are forced to defend your own life?" Haruka stood up and walked towards Ami.

"Attack me. Right now." Ami got up from the chair and moved to a more open area.

Haruka's eyes narrowed slightly and then she nodded. "Okay. I won't go easy on you. There is no easy out there, doc." Haruka cracked her knuckles.

Mako widened her eyes in shock. She had been teaching Ami some basic moves, but they were rudimentary. Mako held her breath. Before she knew it, Haruka was running towards Ami.

Mako stared in disbelief when she saw a glint of confidence in Ami's eyes. That almost invisible half-crooked smile. The taller, faster Haruka threw out a punch, as Ami started to crouch down. Simultaneously, Ami withdrew her right fist back, rotating 180 degrees. Then, like a piston, she sent her arm out while rotating the wrist back.

The punch hit center mass and Haruka doubled over in pain. Ami wasn't done yet. She grabbed Haruka's arm near the shoulder and used it as leverage. She flung the taller blonde down to the carpet.

Mako, along with everyone else, stared at Ami with disbelief. Ami bent down, apologized to Haruka and then helped her to her feet. "Sorry, I know physics and anatomy. Now let's go check out your wounds."

"Ami, remind me to never piss you off." Haruka rubbed her sore spots.

"I pulled back my attack. Based on my calculation, if I go faster, I should send enough concentrated force to that one spot and should be enough to break a rib or two. So, really guys, you don't have to worry about me out there." Ami smiled apologetically.

Mako breathed a sigh of relief. Her girlfriend can kick ass. "Alright, so I'll go with Ami, Minako and Rei to this thing."

"I should go too." Usagi raised her hand. The room responded with a resounding "no".

Seiya took Usagi's hand and brought it in for a kiss. "You might want to sit this one out, Odango. I will be the contact and I will bring in these four girls. Haruka, you should stay behind and protect the rest of the people here."

Haruka was about to protest when Michiru put a hand on her shoulder. "You have to stay. We can't have all of our fighters go at the same time."

Ami cleared her throat and opened Michiru's sketchbook to an empty page. "Now, let's get planning. We might need to leave as early as tomorrow morning."

Mako felt her heart swell as she listened to Ami's intricate plan. It was going to be a great fight.

* * *

 _A.N._

 _For the next few chapters, some dark topics will be discussed (human trafficking, sexual exploitation of women etc). It might be triggering for some, so please be aware._


	12. Face Off

**Chapter 12-Face Off**

Ami sat beside Mako and squirmed uncomfortably. She tugged on her tight, short skirt, obsessively readjusting it. Next to her, Mako was also wearing a super short skirt with a green tank top. Her top had a low cut, giving Ami an unobstructed view of Mako's ample cleavage. Ami squirmed again and tried not to look.

She could see her own reflection on the window and she was staring at an unfamiliar face. Michiru did a good job applying the make-ups. Never one to adorn her face this way, Ami felt strange in her own body.

The van accelerated down an empty road and Seiya was not shy at flooring the gas. Ami gripped the door handle tightly while trying to slow her heartbeat. She could already feel the adrenaline flooding through her body, prepping her for the battle ahead. Ami went over the plan again in her head, and prayed that everything would go accordingly. Everything sounded good on paper, but Ami knew plans never go as planned. She tried her best to come up with some contingency plans, but the truth was, if plan A didn't work, they might as well be dead. Or worse…

"It will be okay. After seeing your fight with Haruka yesterday, I have complete confidence in you." Mako took Ami's hand and gave it a kiss. "Now, let's hope I can do my usual high kicks in these costumes."

"Use the scalpel to cut a slit to the side. That should free up your movements." Ami still couldn't believe that they were storming the castle armed with only a tiny blade, taped securely to the underside of their bras.

Rei and Minako were cozily cuddling with each other at the front seat. Seiya tried her hardest to keep her eyes on the front road, and not the side show happening next to her.

"Ah, shit. My leg holster keeps on slipping." Rei flipped her skirt to revealed the gun hidden between her thighs. Seiya looked down, causing the van to momentarily swerve.

"Eyes on the road, pervert." Minako shouted. "I though we are not going to sneak in guns. What if they do a body search?"

Rei grunted in frustration as she unattached the straps. "Well, this damn thing doesn't work anyway. I hope we can find their armory fast. Or, if they are already carrying guns, we can just take it from them."

"Remember guys, not to jump the guns, so to speak. Our best bet is to take them down one by one." Ami reminded everyone. "Seiya and Minako, remember to keep stalling."

"Aye, aye, Captain." Seiya did a salute. "Alright, we are there. Showtime." The van screeched to a halt.

Ami got out of the van and readjust her gait. She was not used to wearing high heels and they almost threw her off balance. She watched Minako and Rei strutted over effortlessly in their bitch heels. "Okay, I can do this," she said under her breath as she copied their ways of walking.

"You got this?" Mako asked, with new concern on her face.

"Lucky you don't have to wear heels, Mako." Ami made a small pout, trying to lighten the mood.

"You sure you can fight in those?"

"Too late to pull out. Don't worry, my body is getting used to it. The key is to find my new center of balance. I think..." Ami glanced over and saw Mako's frown deepens. "I am fine." She offered more reassurance.

Seiya pulled her tie up tight and fixed her hair. Dressed in a suit and with her chest bind, Seiya looked stunning. With her hat tipped sideways and that arrogant smirk, Seiya made a perfect pimp.

They walked the short distance from the parking lot and made their way towards the entrance. Two guards with rifles stepped up and halted them. They quickly searched Seiya and then waved the group in. One man whistled as Minako and Rei walked past. He reached over and squeezed Rei's bottom.

"Let it go, please let it go." Ami prayed silently. Luckily, Rei reigned in her fire and let that man live. She gave him a death stare, but it made him even rowdier.

"Hey, Kunzite. I am back." Seiya spread her arms wide open and showcase the four girls. "Gotta say, my charm is still pretty amazing."

Kunzite walked over and stared at them coldly. He looked at them up and down and then he got out his walkie talkie. "Jadeite, Nephrite, and Zoisite come to the front gate." He turned and smiled at the girls. "We have some new toys to play with."

"Ah, the test drive. Of course...but not so fast, Kunzite. I want my end of the deal and I want the blue hair girl to make sure the merchandise is legit first."

Kunzite narrowed his eyes and subtly placed one hand on his side gun.

"Hear me out. This girl here happens to be a medical student. I just want her to test my equipment first before I sell it to my customer. Then, you can have your girls." Seiya put an arm around Kunzite. She then dropped her voice to a dramatic whisper. "Yo, I promised them they would be fed. Maybe give them something to eat before taking them out for a test drive, no?"

Zoisite stepped up and went right up to Ami. "I will take her. Mizuno Ami, the girl with the highest IQ. Say, I couldn't believe you would sink this low.."

Ami could feel bile rising inside of her. She recognized him right away. He was in the same class as her, but he was expelled after he was caught cheating. From what she heard, he became a medical equipment salesman after. Looked like he stole a bunch of equipment when the apocalypse hit.

Ami looked back and caught Mako's worried look. Ami gave her a slight nod, assuring her girlfriend that she would be alright.

"So, you want to see what I have?" Zoisite flung up the gate of one of the stores. "See, I played smart, While everyone was scurrying around looking for food scraps, I made sure to get all my equipment here. Now, I have a pretty nice gig here."

"How did you get into this?" Ami scanned around. One exit at the back. No guards in this building. Zoisite had one gun in his pocket, possible second gun in his ankle. The store was basically a giant square with rows of medical supplies.

"Well, I ran into Kunzite very early in the apocalypse. He was part of the first army unit sent to deal with the zombies. According to him, he was the last man standing. To be honest, I think when things got bad, he killed those soldiers himself to ensure he would survive on all the rations. We band together and pooled our supplies, he had ammunition, I have drugs and medical knowledge. Then, Nephrite joined us, Kunzite liked him because that fucker could navigate in the dark, just by looking at the stars. He's not much use now, now that we are not wanderers anymore. Jadeite is our youngest and newest recruit. He was pretty good at shooting and he was loyal like a dog. Ah, found it. Here is your centrifuge." Zoisite heaved the heavy machine up from the bottom shelf and settled it on the table.

Ami walked over and pretended to examine the machine. She could feel Zoisite creeping closer and closer to her, no doubt undressing her with his eyes. "I guess we are all survivors. We all have to do what we have to do, right?" Ami said in a timid voice, the best timid voice she could ever muster.

Zoisite stopped advancing. Instead, he spun around and talked more about himself, boasting how many women had come begging for his love and protection.

Ami held her breath and waited patiently. She couldn't risk losing the moment of surprise. While her left hand continued to "test" the machine, making noises as she clicked on the buttons, her right hand was reaching in into her bra for the scalpel.

She could hear his breathing getting closer, and then a hand rested on her thigh. "Mm...Mizuno, you are just absolutely delicious…."

Ami snapped her head back and Zoisite staggered backward. Ami grabbed his arm as leverage and flung him over the shoulder. She then placed her knee on his chest, and with the scalpel, she swiftly made cuts to both his upper arms. "Brachial artery, you should know how to stop the bleeding. Might want to put some pressure on that instead of going for your gun."

Ami roamed her hand up and down and found his guns. "Now, stay down, or I will cut your femoral arteries next."

Zoisite stayed still, with each hand grabbing the opposite wound, while Ami zip-tied him to the shelves.

"Good boy. Thank you for the guns and the centrifuge." Ami said smugly as she walked towards the back exit.

As she entered the back alley, she saw two guards walking the perimeter. Ami hid until they made their rounds and walked back to the last store on the street.

"There is one peculiar store, though. They always have two guards in front, carrying their rifles. I think that might be their armory." Seiya had said during the debriefing.

Ami put down the case by the fence and pulled some leaves to cover it. She then take off her heals and tip toed along the alleyway, silent as a cat. Now the two guards were standing in front of the store, smoking their cigars and joking with each other….

They never saw Ami coming...

* * *

Rei tried to swallow and calm her nerves. Every ounce of her body was screaming for her to slam those scumbags faces onto the concrete ground and Rei clenched her fists as she tried to appear zen.

She saw helplessly as Ami followed Zoisite to the medical store. She trusted Ami and her plan, but part of her still thought they should just come in, guns blazing...

"I will take her." Jadeite pointed at Minako.

Kunzite put his sleazy arm around Minako and pulled her closer. "Sorry, I think I will take this one."

Rei bit the inside of her mouth hard, enough to taste blood. The blade of the scalpel, hidden inside her bra, was getting hotter and hotter.

"Fine, how about this one?" Jadeite pointed at Rei. He then looked over at Nephrite, "alright with you?"

Nephrite took Mako's hand and tugged at her. "I will conquer the giant."

They were talking about them, in front of them, like they were nothing but property. Rei forced a smile onto her face and followed Jadeite.

He appeared to be the youngest of the group, barely looked like he was old enough to be out of high school. Rei was glad he chose her, as she eyed intensively at the sniper rifle he had slung over his shoulder.

The smile that showed up next was genuine, as Rei continued to stare at the gun. Jadeite wasn't very bright and took it as a sign of affection. "I used to have a lot of girls following me around. Didn't think you would fall for my charm so soon."

"What?! Oh, yeah, I haven't touched a man since forever..." Rei recovered quickly. She continued to pretend to show interest as Jadeite continued to talk.

"We will treat you well here. You don't have to leave the compound, so you don't have to worry about zombies. If you do well and the customers like you, you will get bigger rations than the other girls." Jadeite took out a set of keys and unlocked one of the store fronts.

"How many girls are here?" Rei batted her eyes, trying hard not to vomit. "I need to know my competition..."

Jadeite thought for a moment. "We kind of lost count. We just lost our top four favorites, but we still have about ten active girls. Anyway, here we are. Now, this is the room where you would take your customers. There is a washroom in the back for quick clean ups. Water is a bit of a rare thing here, so just wipe yourself up between clients."

He put down his rifle on the table and then took off his gray jacket. He ruffled his blonde hair a bit and then turned and smiled at Rei. "So, show me how good you are..."

Rei quickly scanned the room. The front door was locked again and the keys were still attached to his pants. She sighed internally...

Rei gently took Jadeite's hand and lead him to bed. He was practically purring as he stared at her boobs. Rei smirked and pushed him down. The amount of time Minako had used this seduction method on her was countless and each and every time, Rei was unable to resist.

She slowly climbed on top of him as her hand trailed along his body, barely touching. The boy had unwittingly submitted. "Wow. Wow..." He kept on saying.

"Don't tell me you are a virgin." Rei roughly grabbed his hair and forced him to look at her.

"Of course not." His face turned red. Feeling his manhood threatened, he tried to get out from under Rei.

It was too late. Rei had him right where she wanted. She leaned over, her eyes rolled slightly as her boobs hang inches from his face. Again, fighting back a gag reflex, Rei used one hand to hold down his two hands together at the wrists.

"Just teasing. Although it would be romantic if I take your virginity, no?" Rei forced the words out while trying to maintain her sexy voice.

Jadeite sneered. "Are you falling in love with me already?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Rei said as she squeezed her legs tighter around Jadeite's body, giving herself some leverage.

The boy grunted like it was his luckiest day. When he opened his eyes again, it was too late.

Rei slammed her fist into Jadeite's face. One punch. Two punches. He struggled to free himself but Rei had put her body weight on those restrained wrists.

"Who the hell are you, you crazy bitch." He hissed from his bleeding lips. When the punches won't stop, he finally turned to begging. "Please stop. I can't take this anymore."

Rei slammed her fist down one more time and he finally passed out. She took the keys and the rifle, and then she looked around the room for something to tie him up with. When she came up empty, Rei rolled her eyes and settled for stripping him naked. Unable to stomach the sight, Rei decided to let him keep his underpants. Quickly, she took the keys and then locked the door behind her.

"Get to higher ground when you get the chance, Rei. We need our sniper." Ami's voice rang in her head. So far, so good. Rei couldn't believe Ami's plan was working.

She had seen the perfect spot earlier, in the next building. Rei swung the gun over her shoulder, took off in her heels and started running.


	13. Surrender, or Die

**Chapter 13- Surrender, or Die**

Mako stood, uncomfortably, in the middle of the room. The floor was dirty and cold to her barefoot. That was the first thing he ordered her to take off. She blushed as Nephrite continued to undress her with his eyes.

"Now spin." He made a circular motion with his finger.

Mako did as told. Her heart was pounding hard. Never been good with lying, Mako worried that she would blow her cover. Nephrite was in no hurry to get to business, which meant Mako couldn't get close enough to neutralize him.

"Alright. Follow me. I have something to show you." He stood up and left the room. Mako slipped back on her shoes and hurried to catch up.

Mako couldn't figure out what his game plan was. Not much of a talker, he barked out his commands using as little words as possible. Unlike the other guys who seemed to drool at the sight of Ami and Rei, Nephrite showed indifference.

Perhaps she was not feminine enough. Could she be the weakest link? Mako shook her head to push that thought out of her head.

"In here." Nephrite slid open a heavy door. His eyes stared intensively as Mako entered the room. He seemed to be studying her every reaction.

Mako gasped when she saw four women locked in a large dog cage. A giant padlock secured the door. They could barely move without hitting one another in that tiny space.

"What is this?" Mako tried to keep her voice even, although she could feel anger rising up inside of her.

Nephrite was still staring at her face. Seconds ticked by and he was still silent. Finally, he took out a wooden stick from a nearby closet and start to poke at the women. "Introduce yourself. Don't be rude."

"I am Koan."

"Berthier."

"Calvares."

"Petz." The last one hissed out her name through her clenched teeth. Mako had seen fear in the other women's eyes, but not Petz. It was pure hatred.

Nephrite chuckled and pushed the stick in forcibly. It hit Petz in the stomach and she yelped out in pain. "Behave." He then turned and walked towards Mako. "So, do as we say and you will live well. Try to run, steal or betray us in any way, you will end up here. Let this be your first lesson."

Mako swallowed hard and tried to unclench her fists. If only she didn't promise Usagi not to kill...

"Now, on to the second lesson." Nephrite turned and left the room. Mako turned back to look at the women one last time and then followed him out.

They returned to the original room and Nephrite sad down on a chair. He took our his handgun and rested it on his thigh. "Get down on your knees and crawl over here."

Mako was physically trembling now. Not from fear, but from anger. She looked at him directly in the eyes and stood still.

He repeated his command, while his hand tightened around the gun's handle. Mako clenched her fists, debating...

Nephrite's face morphed into a triumphant smile and he nodded smugly. "I knew it. It was too goo to be true." He raised his gun and aimed it at Mako's head. "Who are you?"

Mako stayed silent. Every muscle in her body was ready. She just needed the right moment.

Nephrite stood up and put the gun right on her forehead. "Are you acting alone? Or are they with you?

Mako put up her hands slowly, seemingly surrendering. "Don't shoot."

In a flash, Mako put her left hand on his wrist and pulled down hard. Simultaneously, her right hand grabbed the firearm and turned it upwards. Bang. The shot rang out, echoing through the building.

Nephrite gripped on to the gun tightly but Mako pulled his armed down and then twisted it. In the struggle, the gun flew out of his hand and slid across the floor to the other side of the room.

Mako followed with two high kicks, one to his abdomen and one to the side of his neck. The last one sent him hurling towards the wall and his face smashed into the mirror. Nephrite turned, with blood flowing down the cut on his forehead, he started to charge at Mako at full speed.

"Amateur." She easily ducked his right hook and she rammed her elbow into his rib cage. He fell over, wincing in pain. She then grabbed hold of his arm and put one leg on his shoulder. Pop. He screamed out in pain as she dislocated his shoulder.

"Here is a lesson for you. Women are not things or pets. I am not going to kill you because I promised someone." Mako then kicked his head once, holding back some of her rage and knocked him unconscious.

She knew she had to hurry at this point. Someone would have heard that gunshot. Or zombies. Or both. She patted him down until she found a key. Praying that it was the right one, she raced down the hallway to where the women were held.

The four women looked up in surprise and hope. Mako inserted the key and breathed a sigh of relief when the lock opened. She reached in and help them stand up. Been crouched down for so long, they were having some trouble initially. A few seconds past and they were able to move, all except Koan.

"That bastard broke her leg, just for fun. It never healed right." Petz turned to Mako. "Please tell me he is dead."

"He...is taken care of. Hurry, we need to run now. Someone must have heard that shot and they would send reinforcement." Mako crouched down and let Koan climbed onto her back. "Follow me. My friends and I have a rendezvous point."

The five of them took off running towards the back alley. Mako easily knocked down four more guards on the way.

Mako's heart stopped cold when she got to the back alley. Under a pile of leaves, Mako could see it was some kind of medical equipment, which meant Ami was here. She got out…but where was she?

"Okay, you guys run. I need to go find my girlfriend." Mako let Koan off her back.

Petz came up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You saved us. Let us help. Koan, hide somewhere for now. Tell me, where is your friend suppose to be at?"

"I have no idea…she was led away by the blonde guy and she was last seen heading towards the medical equipment storage. Ami took the time to hide the machine, which meant she wasn't taken against her will. Knowing her, she probably found some lead and just went to investigate..all by herself." Mako slammed her fist into her other palm. So typical of Ami.

Petz nodded and thought for a while. "Alright. We need firepower. I know where the armory is. Follow me. Then we will go find your friend."

* * *

Seeing her friends picked off one by one, as if they were food on a menu, Minako ordered herself to focus on the mission. She was trained for this. Back in the academy, she learned all she could about going undercover. Now, it's time to put that to the test.

Seiya was flapping her arms around, spinning a tall tale to keep Kunzite distracted. He wasn't a trusting person, to say the least, and he kept his arm around Minako at all times.

"I am telling you, there is good business to be made. I am just a wanderer, and I can reach far and wide. If you and I can work out a deal, I can make this trading post mobile." Seiya sat down on the guard's chair.

"Smart." Minako thought. Now Seiya had a full view of the trading post.

Kunzite also pulled up two chairs, facing the same way, and motioned Minako to sit beside him. "So, what is your story?"

Minako let out a laugh and then batted her eyes. "Well, I worked for the Yakuza before. I was their favorite girl and it was a glamorous life. I did well, all of my customers were satisfied and I was rewarded, handsomely. Look, I am not cut out for a tough life. I don't like this zombie apocalypse. I am always running and I am always hungry." Minako flipped her long blonde hair and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Hmm." Kunzite narrowed his eyes. "How did you guys all meet?"

"Let's see, I was on the run and then I ran into Ami, Mako and Rei. We survived together. Then, our camp was overrun by zombies and we lost everything. If we didn't run into Seiya, we would've starved to death. He is such a sweety pie. He let us in, fed us and gave us a roof over our heads. We even get to shower at his place." Minako blew a kiss at Seiya and he pretended to catch it with his hand.

Kunzite put a hand on Minako's thigh and slowly slid his hand up, all the while watching Minako's expression. "So you were a hooker, that makes sense. How did you two manage to convince the other three to come here? They looked pretty innocent to me."

Minako's face didn't even flinch. She might be killing him inside her head, but she kept her cool. "Oh, they will learn. I used to be a newbie too, once upon a time. I cried after I slept with my first John. Then it got easier. I imagine it would be the same for them. Plus, food, water, and a roof over their heads? They will be grateful."

"Why don't you take her to a room? Test her out?" Seiya suggested. She gave Minako a look.

"Yeah, why don't I just show you? Also, I haven't done it with anyone remotely handsome lately. You, on the other hand, are absolutely delicious." Minako leaned in for a kiss but Kunzite pushed her face away. She needed to get him alone, without the guards and their guns, so she could knock him out. Maybe kick him hard in his manhood too...

"It can wait. I just want to get to know you guys better. Now, you said the blue hair girl had medical training?" He turned his attention back to Seiya.

Minako took the chance to quickly look around, scanning all of the the rooftops. She hoped that Rei was in position, should anything happen...

"What are you looking at?" Kunzite grabbed her hair and pulled her closer.

"Oh, nothing. Just admiring my new home." Minako could feel the heat rising up, her own emotions were starting to betray her. Her heartbeat was fast and her breathing was getting shallower. The more she stared into those psychopathic eyes, the louder her survival instinct screamed.

Kunzite studied her for a few seconds and then released her hair. "Not your new home yet."

Before Minako could catch her breath, a gunshot was heard, echoing through the compound. Immediately, Kunzite drew his gun and pointed at Minako. The guards raised their rifles and pointed at Seiya.

With her hands up in surrender, Minako jumped into persona number two. She blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to squeeze out some tears. "What are you doing? What was that? Zombies? Oh my gosh, it's not safe here..." She started to hyperventilate.

"Hey, put down your guns. What are you doing?" Seiya also had her hands up. "Is there a breach? I can help."

"Hmph." Kunzite released the safety on his handgun. "You guys are the breach."

Two shots rang out and the guards fell to the ground. Kunzite turned to look, which gave Minako an opening.

She grabbed the gun by the handle, then chopped her hand down into Kunzite's elbow. Swiftly and beautifully, she took the gun. Silently in her head, she said thank you to Rei.

Pressing the gun against his temple, Minako resisted every urge to pull the trigger.

"Good work, agent Minako." Seiya winked. "I was starting to see my life flash before me."

"Let's tie him up," Minako said. Seiya nodded and took off her tie.

All of a sudden, rapid fire was heard. Jadeite, wearing nothing but a pair of white briefs, was firing his machine gun everywhere, all the while aiming at all the roofs. Nephrite also emerged, bleeding, hurt but conscious. He held up his rifle and aimed it at Seiya.

"Let him go or I will shoot," Nephrite ordered.

Soon, more guards start to pile in and Minako found herself surrounded. Rei couldn't save her now even if she wanted to. There was simply not enough bullets...

Suddenly, more gunfire was heard and some of the guards dropped to their knees, screaming in pain. Three women, along with Mako appeared.

"Knees? Why the knees?" A woman with green hair was yelling at Mako.

Mako continued to fire until her clip ran empty. She then dropped the gun and start to fight her way through using her fists.

"Not so fast, you freak. And you guys, drop your guns." Jadeite pointed the machine gun at Mako's head.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." Minako swore under her breath.

Kunzite was smug as hell and he slowly raised from his kneeling position. "Outnumbered and out gunned. Tsk tsk tsk..."

Minako looked helplessly as the remaining guards put handcuffs on the three women, Mako and Seiya. She needed to do something. Kunzite took the gun back and aimed the gun again in her face.

"Any last words?"

Just then, the ground started to shake and then an explosion rocked the building that was at the end of the road.

* * *

Mako turned around, her eyes wide with hope. Only her Ami would do this...so crazy yet so brilliant.

A tank emerged from the back and slowly advanced towards the gate.

A voice came through the speaker. Ami still sounded sweet, even when she was so menacing. "Release them now and surrender."

Some of the guards saw the tank coming and ran for their lives.

"Cowards." Jadeite yelled at the traitors. He raised his machine gun and started to fire at the tank.

Ami turned the barrel and lined it up, inches away from Jadeite's face. "Really? Are you that stupid? "

Mako could feel her heart swell with pride. She looked up at the tank and imagined what Ami looked like inside. How did she learn to operate one? Mako asked herself that question and then quickly dismissed it. The answer would always be..."It's Ami."

Nephrite, Kunzite, Jadeite and the rest of the guards surrendered. They put their guns down and held up their hands.

"Oh, someone go get Zoisite in the medical store. He is still there, pinching his severed arteries." Ami announced through the speaker.

Mako laughed out loud. "Gladly." She ran to the store and sure enough, Zoisite was still hugging himself tightly, but unconscious. She picked him up and swung him over her shoulder.

When she returned, Minako was interrogating the guys. "Where are the rest of the girls?"

Nephrite pointed at the low-rise building just outside of the compound. "We lock them in there...Unit 3b."

Koan limped out of her hiding spot, dragging the dog cage behind her. "Hey guys, let's put them in here."

Mako felt satisfied as she tossed the four guys in, after roughly bandaging up Zoisite. She locked the gate and then gave the key to Petz. "They are now your responsibility. Keep them in there or exile them, it's up to you guys and the rest of the girls."

Petz smiled gratefully. "Thank you. Us four sisters will take over the trading post. Come by anytime, we will give you a fair trade. However, I am gonna ask that you don't take the tank. It might be the only way to protect this place..."

"Deal." Mako shook Petz's hand.

"Help, Ami. Get out of the tank." Minako and Seiya exited a building, holding onto an unconscious Rei. Mako ran up to the tank and bang on it. Ami wouldn't be able to hear them from inside.

"I think she lost a lot of blood." Minako was sobbing as she cradled Rei in her arms. "Rei, baby? Wake up..."

The crowd gathered around. Mako held her breath as she watched Ami examine Rei.

"One shot to the right shoulder, clean exit wound at the back. Two more grazes to the other arm. Okay, let's get her on a table and I will stitch her up. Minako, do you know Rei's blood type?" Ami turned to her hysterical friend.

Minako shook her head. "No. Oh god, I don't know."

Mako offered her arm to Ami. "I'm O negative. I used to donate blood so I could get food, back when I was a street kid. Ami, my blood is the universal donor right?"

Ami nodded and Mako detected a hint of sympathy in her eyes. Then her eyes refocused and she was back in doctor mode. Without another word, Ami grabbed some tubes from her newly raided medic kit and started the process.

"Seiya, go see if you can find any juice around here? Mako will need it after the transfusion. Hey, you four, I am sorry, I don't know your names. Please keep watch for any incoming zombies."

Petz and the other three nodded and head toward the entrance and the side fences.

Minako was still in shock, as she held onto Rei's hand. Mako reached over with her free hand and gently patted Minako on the back.

"Hey, have some faith in Ami. Rei will be fine." Mako turned to look at Ami. She was bent over the wound, her brows squeezed together...

"Fuck. I can't see. I need to see which artery to fix..." Ami rarely swore but the fact that she did, it couldn't be good. "Minako. Go look for a flashlight."

Minako was still clutching Rei's hand, her knuckles turning white. She was staring at nothing, looking dazed.

"MINAKO. if you don't go now, you are killing Rei." Ami yelled. It finally brought her out of her daze and she reluctantly let go of Rei's hand.

For the next hour, it seemed like forever. Mako was starting to get light headed but she didn't say anything. Seiya arrived with some juice and Ami ordered her to drink up.

Everyone held their breath until Ami put down her instruments and flashed a big smile at everyone. "Rei is going to be okay. I did it."

Ami came over and took out the needle in Mako's arm. She leaned in and kissed Mako on the lips. "Thank you, my hero."

Mako smiled. "And you, you just performed your first field surgery."

"Do I get a cookie?"

"We might have to share. You did shot up one of their food stores. I will be sad if there are no cookies left." Mako teased. "How did you know how to drive that tank?"

Ami shrugged as she helped Mako stand up. "There was an instruction manual inside..."


	14. Mourn the Dead

**Chapter 14-Mourn the Dead**

Rei slowly opened her eyes. She was back in the house. There was a sharp, stabbing pain on her shoulder and Rei winced as she tried to sit up. What happened? The last thing she remembered was Jadeite shooting at her with a machine gun…she tried to shoot back…and then she was hit….

Beside her, Minako was sleeping in a chair, her head hung uncomfortably low.

"Mina…." Rei opened her mouth to speak but she could barely squeeze the words out. Her throat was parched and a sharp pain of hunger stabbed her in the stomach…how long was she out?

Her girlfriend's eyes flew open. "Rei? Rei...you are awake..." She ran to the door and yelled for Ami to come. "Okay, don't move yet..." Mina ran back to prevent Rei from sitting up.

"Did everyone get out okay? Did we save the girls?"

"We all did and we saved everyone...oh, you missed how bad ass Ami was." Mina smiled and wiped away her tears.

Ami entered and gave Rei a hug. She quickly assessed the wounds and gave a thumbs-up to everyone. "Okay, I know you hate not doing anything but please listen to me. You have to stay in bed, restricted activity, for at least a week."

Rei nodded solemnly. "Guys, how long was I out? I felt like I haven't eaten in days."

Mina held up her fingers, indicating two days. "We fed you water and soup using pipettes. We fed you like you were a tiny little baby bird." She teased.

A gentle knock came from the door and then Mako came in with a food tray. "Hi, Rei. You must be hungry. Here... Sorry, it's not solid food yet but we will build up your strength gradually."

"Let me guess, Ami's order?" Rei opened the lid and leaned in to smell the food. "I guess I can do congee for a couple of days."

Suddenly, a loud wail came from the hallway. Usagi burst in, crying. She started to walk towards Rei and then stopped.

"What's wrong?" Rei asked. She had actually warmed up to Usagi last week, but Usagi was still scared of her.

"I am just glad you are okay. Sorry, I promised I won't be a crybaby." Usagi sniffled.

Rei pretended to roll her eyes and then burst out laughing. "You don't have to be scared of me. Come here..." Usagi tentatively took a step, and then ran the rest of the way and hugged Rei.

"Oh my gosh, I am hurting you, I am sorry." Usagi let go when she noticed Rei winced.

"Quite a grip for the princess." Rei rubbed her shoulder and couldn't help but smile. The worry on Usagi's face, mixed in with fear...Did she scare Usagi that much? Sure, Rei knew she was a hard ass sometimes and she didn't believe in holding back honest opinions. Perhaps the apocalypse made her less friendly than usual; she didn't mean to traumatize Usagi.

"Okay, eat up and rest. Everybody out." The doctor ordered. "Mina, you should get some rest too. "

Mina nodded but sat back down on the chair. "I will. Later."

Rei finished the congee and let out a happy sigh. Minako took the tray and then came back to tug Rei in. She felt uncomfortable being taken care of, but she obliged.

"I am glad you are okay." Mina reached over and took Rei's hand. "You really scared me, seeing you passed out in that huge pool of blood."

Rei smiled weakly and squeezed Mina's hand. "I will be better next time. No one will be able to hurt me."

"Rei-Chan!" The door burst open and Chibiusa and Hotaru entered. Mina let go of Rei's hand and stepped aside. The two chipmunks climbed onto the foot of the bed and showed their gifts to Rei, a drawing of an archer shooting flames and a giant wild flower bouquet. "Ami said we could talk to you for five minutes and then you have to sleep."

"Thank you, guys." Rei beamed and happily accepted the gifts. "Aww...this is beautiful."

"Does it still hurt?" Chibiusa asked. She put her hand over Rei's, her eyes wide with worry.

"It's much better now. Seeing the both of you make me forget the pain."

"Rei..." Hotaru whispered. "I am glad you are not dead."

Rei held her head high and put a hand on her heart. "Yup, still very much alive. Good people always wins, right?" Hotaru frowned and squeezed her eyebrows tighter together.

Rei sighed and pulled the two girls closer. "Look, I promise I will try my hardest not to get hurt in the future, okay?"

Hotaru and Chibiusa looked up and nodded.

"Okay, Rei needs to rest now. Time to go." Minako ushered the kids out.

"Sorry we interrupted your love love time..." Chibiusa said as she closed the door. Minako's face turned rosy.

Rei smiled and felt unusually happy. This is her family now...

* * *

September 23, it's Autumnal Equinox day. A national holiday dedicated to pay respect to deceased family members and visit their graves. Rei put an x on the calendar and sighed. Everyone had lost someone, and there were no graves to visit anymore.

She wondered if grandpa was still wondering around as a zombie. It ate away at her conscience that she didn't put him out of his misery. She relived that scene over and over; how he sacrificed himself so she and Minako could get away...she should've done something.

"Earth to Rei..." Chibiusa popped up out of nowhere and jumped into Rei's bed. "What are you doing?"

"Just thinking." Rei forced a weak smile on her face. "So, how is the feast coming? Mako told me you and Hotaru were suppose to be helping out in the kitchen...did someone get lazy?"

Chibiusa held up her finger, where there was a fresh cut. "I did until the peeler slipped and sliced my skin. So, Mako told me to go. See, I helped."

Moments later, Hotaru walked into the room and plopped down on Rei's bed. "I got kicked out too."

Rei raised an eyebrow. "So no one is helping Mako?"

Hotaru looked apologetic. "Turns out I was making things worse. Mako had to restart the soup. I accidentally put sugar in instead of salt...do you think she's mad?"

Rei gently patted Hotaru on the head. "I am sure Mako was happy to have you two helping out. And hey, maybe sweet miso soup is going to be a huge hit..."

Rei shifted herself to the edge of the bed and slowly got up. "I don't know about you guys, but I am going crazy just sitting here, doing nothing. I am just gonna go talk to Mako, see if she needs anything...Oh, did you guys finish the homework Ami gave you?"

Both girls shook their head. "Why do we still have to do homework? The world ended, remember?" Chibiusa whined.

"It's for your own good. I want you two to finish it by tonight, okay?" Rei bent down and put on her slippers, wincing in pain when she accidentally moved the injured shoulder.

The girls nodded and headed upstairs to their rooms.

Rei made her way to the kitchen, trying hard to ignore the mess the house was in. She couldn't deal with laziness, and she let her chores slide. Poor Mako probably shouldered all of the chores...

"Rei? What are you doing here?" Mako turned around in surprise. Her hands were covered in sticky rice and a pot was boiling over on the stove.

Rei went over and turned down the heat. She took a spatula and stirred the red bean mixture. "Because you are overwhelmed. How many ohagi are you making? This is enough to feed an army..."

Mako returned to mixing her sticky rice paste. "One for each of us, and the rest for our lost family members. I don't know the exact number so I made a lot. I just think this is the least I can do, to honor them and to remember them. Ami's mom, my parents, Minako's parents, your grandpa, your mom, Usagi and Chibiusa's parents, Hotaru's parents...the list just gets longer and longer.." Mako's voice cracked and she quickly turned away...

Rei turned away as well, giving Mako the privacy she needed. They had all been so busy with surviving, none of them had a proper chance to mourn the dead. Rei knew she shut that door on purpose, so she could focus on what needed to be done. Today, however, Rei couldn't close that door anymore.

Last autumnal equinox day, she and Grandpa woke up early and traveled to her mother's grave. They spent the morning cleaning it, presenting flowers and incense, and then just sit at the grave and talked all day long.

That night, they made tons of food and they ate and ate until they couldn't anymore. She and grandpa had laid on the grass and just looked up at stars.

Rei regretted not spending more time with him near the end. She was busy with university, she was busy with her new social life...how many times did she turn down grandpa's dinner invitations? If only she could go back...

* * *

When dinner was served, everyone gathered around the table. The atmosphere was solemn, as they were each confronted with their belated mourning.

Michiru brought out a bottle of sake and poured a little for everyone. "We will never forget...and for their sake, we will keep on surviving. Kanpai!"

Everyone clinked their cups and settled back into their own thoughts.

Rei looked at the wildflower bouquet the girls prepared and smiled sadly. She looked around the table and felt lucky that she was able to find a new family. Surviving in this harsh world would only get harder and harder, but she knew if they all stick together, they might just be able to get out of this alive...

* * *

 _A.N._

 _This chapter and the next chapter are the "filler episodes". The final arc is coming..._


	15. Usagi and Seiya's Heart Pounding Date

**Chapter 15- Usagi and Seiya's Heart Pounding Date**

* * *

"Hey, Odango." Seiya came up from behind and tapped Usagi on the head.

"Will you ever call me by my name?" Usagi frowned and turned to face Seiya. "What do you want?"

"Meet me at the beach in an hour?"

"Why?" Usagi finished folding the laundry and stood up. "I still have a bunch of chores to do. Rei is still in strict bed rest so I can't slack off..."

"Just meet me there. I promise it will be good. Ciao..." Seiya did a peace sign and then left. Usagi stared at the handsome boi and felt her heart fluttered.

The attraction was unmistakable. Usagi never thought she would be interested in a woman...even if that woman looked and acted like a man at times.

Usagi put a hand over her heart and felt it pounding fiercely. Did Seiya just ask her out?

She rushed back to her room and rummaged through her closet. She certainly didn't pack for a date. Frustrated, she flung all her clothes on the bed and painstakingly picked through them. Finally, she settled on a pink top with a butterfly bow and a pair of jeans with blood stain on them. Dating in an apocalypse was just impossible...

An hour later, Usagi walked toward the beach, hoping that she didn't misinterpret Seiya's invitation. Maybe it wasn't a date...

Up ahead, she could see Seiya laid comfortably on a picnic blanket. When Usagi saw a bouquet of wildflowers, a plate of sandwiches and a gift box, Usagi felt her heart jumping wildly in her chest. Taking a deep breath and trying to not look nervous, she walked towards her date.

Seiya beamed her usual charming smile and raised her sunglasses. "Hi, Usagi."

"So, we are eating lunch here? Not in the house?" Usagi decided to play dumb.

Seiya opened the gift box, revealing several chocolate bars. "I am bribing you with food and flowers. And yes, in case you miss the memo, this is a date."

Usagi accepted the gift graciously. She looked into Seiya's eyes and allowed herself to be lost in there for a while. On an impulse, Usagi leaned in and kissed Seiya on the cheek. For a moment, she thought she could feel electricity flowing between them.

Taken by surprise, Seiya gasped. She quickly recovered and resumed her composure. Seiya took a step closer and gently took Usagi's hands…

* * *

"My turn, my turn. Stop hogging the binoculars." Minako grabbed it from Mako. Unknown to the lovebirds on the beach, they were been spied on by their friends.

"What are they doing now?" Mako asked urgently. "Did Seiya kiss back?"

"Nope. They are back to eating sandwiches now." Minako reported.

Suddenly, the Walkie talkie crackled and Rei's voice came through."hey, update, please. I am bored...if you don't, I am climbing up there."

Ami grabbed the Walkie. "Don't you dare. I am doing this so that I can prevent you from tearing the stitches again. Anyway, Usagi just kissed Seiya on the cheek. Minako now owes you a bag of chips."

"YES!" Rei shouted.

"I don't feel right about this, spying and making bets on them." Ami frowned as she talked to everyone.

"Shush. Get off your high horse. Now place your bet, two bags of nuts...who will initiate the next kiss?" Minako challenged.

"Usagi." Makoto raised her hand.

"Seiya." Rei said through the Walkie.

Ami hesitated and then blushed. "My money is on Usagi."

"Alright. Hands off and now let's see..." Minako resumed watching. "Oh, oh, there is touching..."

* * *

Seiya moved herself closer and closer subtly. Usagi was eating all of the food, but she didn't mind.

"Here, try this." Seiya offered more food. "It's chocolate shrimp chip."

Usagi frowned and reached in tentatively. "Really? That doesn't sound good at all..." She studied the chip and then shoved it into Seiya's mouth. "You first."

"Mm mm...um..mm.." Seiya swallowed it without chewing. "Now your turn."

"Hey, cheater." Usagi playfully hit Seiya's arm. "It can't be that bad. Okay...here we go." Usagi shoved a handful into her own mouth. Her face said it all. Seiya let out a roaring laugh.

"Oh, gosh, now my breath smelled like shrimp," Usagi said in horror.

Seiya put one hand on hers and leaned in even closer. "I don't mind..." She closed her eyes and waited for Usagi to meet her halfway.

Usagi blushed profusely and felt like her heart was about to break through her rib cage. Suddenly, it was too much. Emotions were a funny thing. Usagi got up abruptly and ran away…

* * *

"Urgh, Rei wins again." Minako gave the binocular to Mako. "Your turn to spy."

"Well, technically that doesn't count. Usagi just run away...oh no is she freaked?" Mako frowned as she watched.

"What? I so did. You said Seiya initiated the kiss, you didn't specify that the kiss had to be completed. Two bags of nuts please." Rei yelled into the Walkie, loud enough that Ami had to muffle it with her shirt.

"Don't worry, they can't hear us." Minako waved nonchalantly.

Ami shook her head. "I honestly think we should stop..."

"Oh, oh..." Mako started to flap her free arm excitedly. "The show is back..."

Ami sighed and continued to participate. Like a bad sitcom, Ami couldn't tear herself away from the drama...

* * *

"Usagi..." Seiya chased after the girl. She silently cursed in her head. She moved too fast and now she scared her away. "I am sorry..."

Usagi finally stopped and turned around. "It's okay. Seiya..."

Usagi paused for a few seconds. It felt like an eternity to Seiya. She started to fill in the blank. Usagi is probably going to say she's not gay, or that she's not interested in someone like Seiya...

"Seiya, I like you. A lot. It's scary for me..." Usagi looked down, avoiding Seiya's gaze.

"Because I am a woman?"

Usagi shook her head violently. "I am scared because it is the end of the world...what possible future could we have? What if I lose you?"

Seiya breathed a sigh of relief. "I like you too, Usagi. Ever since you gave me half your food, I had spent a lot of time thinking about you and dreamt about crossing paths again. At first, I just wanted to say thank you and offered my help, if you ever needed it. When you showed up at that hardware store, and how we ran into each other like that…it felt like fate." Seiya pulled Usagi into her arms. "You are very special to me. I don't care if it's the end of the world or not, I just know I want to protect you and cherish you."

"Then promise me you won't die." Usagi looked up.

Seiya raised her hand. "I will try my best not to die." She stared into Usagi's eyes and felt happiness. It was such a strange feeling, after everything she went through.

Suddenly, a glint came from the house and distracted them. Seiya and Usagi turned and saw three suspicious figures on the roof.

"Hey, what are they doing? Mako is supposed to be on garden duty today...is that Ami up there?" Usagi was about to wave to them when Seiya stopped her.

"Well, well, we have got ourselves an audience. Quick, follow me..." Seiya grabbed Usagi's hand and ran toward the forest.

* * *

"We've been made. Shit. We need eyes on the ground. Someone radio Michiru and Haruka. They are in the forest gathering woods I think..." Minako urged.

Mako grabbed the walkie and tuned it to another channel. "Michiru, Haruka, do you guys copy? Hello?"

A breathless Haruka answered. "What? What's going on?"

Then, a scream came through the speaker. It was Usagi's voice. "Why are you guys naked in the woods..."


	16. The Mission

**Chapter 16-The Mission**

Ami sat at the dining table, drumming her fingers nervously. Setsuna sat next to her, her expression was unreadable. How could she be so calm?

Usagi came in holding Seiya's hand and happily plopped down on one of the chairs. "So, Ami, you called for a meeting. What are we going to discuss?"

"Best to wait till everyone is here. I'm going to get Chibiusa and Hotaru. I want this to be a family discussion." Setsuna got up and walked up the stairs.

"Alight, all present. Let's get the show on the road." Minako clapped her hands dramatically. The rest piled in and took their seats.

Ami looked around the table. They had survived and bonded as a family. What she's about to reveal next would change everything...

"So, as you all know, Setsuna and I have been working hard in the lab, analyzing Usagi's blood." Ami paused when she saw Seiya raised an eyebrow. Did Usagi not mention her bite to Seiya yet?

"And? Just spit it out, Ami. The suspense is killing me." Minako was more hyper than usual today. Rei gently put a hand on Minako's, quietly reining in the crazy.

"We hypothesized that Usagi's blood, the antibodies, might be the key to a cure. We might be able to eradicate the zombie virus..."

The silence in the room was deafening. Ami waited as the group process the information.

Michiru was the first to speak. "You don't look too excited, Ami. What's the bad news?"

"The infectious disease center in Tokyo is no longer in play. We need a proper lab to make a good batch of vaccine. We also...need human subjects." Ami swallowed hard as she squeezed the last few words out. They would need to test the vaccine on uninfected people, which meant a sure death sentence for the subjects if they were wrong.

"So, we can't make the vaccine here? Humanity is still doomed?" Haruka asked.

Setsuna shook her head. "Not necessarily...I need to get to my old lab. There is a secure network within it and I can send out a message to all the satellite sites spread across the country. I hope that one of the labs would still be functioning and then we can use their equipment to make the vaccine."

"Which brings us to another problem, doesn't it?" Haruka scratched her head. "When we first rescued you, Setsuna, didn't you blast through the front door in order to escape? Which means it should be totally zombie infested by now..."

Setsuna nodded sadly. "It was a stupid move..."

"We will find a way, right?" Usagi's eyes were teary as she looked at everyone. "If it's my blood that can save everyone, then I would gladly bleed." Usagi turned and looked at her little sister and Hotaru. "If there is a remote chance that they can grow up in a better world…I would do anything."

Haruka replied gently. "Princess, we are talking about going into the center of Tokyo...a city of 10 million zombies...we would all be eaten before we could get you to the right people..."

"Usagi is staying here until we can find out the actual location of a functioning lab. I was thinking maybe some of you would want to come with me to the lab." Setsuna stood up and rolled out the map. "It will be a two-day, maybe three-day run. Makoto, I hate to ask you this, but I might need you to restore power once we get there...and Ami, no, you are staying here. If anything happens to me, you are the next one in line to keep going..."

Mako nodded immediately. "I was going to volunteer anyway."

Ami looked at her girlfriend and felt helpless. Logic was telling her that Mako was a good choice for this expedition. Her heart, however, was throwing a tantrum like a spoiled little child. She struggled to find the right words, but in the end, opted for silence instead. She knew she had no right to hold her back…

Mako turned and winked at Ami. "I will be okay. You don't have to worry about me..."

Forcing a half smile, Ami nodded. She wanted to tell her to stay, to let others take the risk of going on a semi-suicidal mission.

"I will be the driver." Michiru was the second one to volunteer. She shushed Haruka before Haruka could protest. "You are the better driver, If anything happens to me, then you will carry out the rest of the mission. Protect Usagi and save the world."

Setsuna nodded in approval. "Best to keep this small. The three of us will do...we will leave tomorrow morning."

* * *

Ami slipped on her pajamas and climbed into bed. Mako moved closer and spooned Ami from behind.

"Ami..."

"Don't. Just hold me." Ami knew there was nothing to say. Anything Mako said at this point would sound like a goodbye.

"Ami, I've done supply runs before, I know a lot of safe routes..." Mako kissed the back of Ami's neck.

"Yeah, but we selected the routes so that we could avoid the city center. This time, you guys are walking straight into the lion's den..." Ami's mind had already imagined all the possible scenarios where Mako could die horribly.

Mako started to kiss the back of her head. "Just turn that busy brain of yours off for a minute. I know what you are thinking..."

Ami freed herself from the cuddle and turned to face Mako. "I can't help it. I know you, Mako. When push comes to shove, you will sacrifice yourself in order to make sure Setsuna completes her part of the mission..."

Mako opened her mouth to protest but decided to close it. She looked at Ami and sighed. "Our peaceful life here is about to end, isn't it? Maybe we will be lucky enough to survive and to witness the new world..."

"Make love to me," Ami whispered. Mako didn't hear it so Ami said it again. "Make love to ..."

Mako pulled Ami in for a passionate kiss. A kiss that fired up all the nerves, a kiss that made them feel alive. Their bodies intertwined and their heartbeats synced. Primal needs took over, shutting down the rest of the brain. Ami let herself drown in the ecstasy...This may be their last night together...


	17. Guts

**Chapter 17- Guts**

Michiru bent down and kissed Hotaru on the forehead. The little girl looked up with tears in her eyes. "Michiru-mama, when are you coming back? You are coming back right?"

She patted the little girl on the head. "Of course. Now, with me gone, remember to listen to Haruka-papa okay? And remember to brush your teeth every night. I love you so much, my little firefly..." Michiru blinked hard, trying to keep her own tears from spilling.

"Be careful out there." Haruka squeezed her hands hard. "I will be waiting, right here, for you to come back. Okay?"

"Just don't eat too much of my cookies. I want some when I come back." Michiru tried to keep her tone light, but her voice cracked, betraying her feelings. She looked into Haruka's eyes, taking a moment to remember that handsome face, down to every single last detail. She pulled Haruka in for the last kiss.

She got into the driver's seat and turned the key. Mako and Setsuna got in, both quiet with tears in their eyes. She put the car in reverse and drive slowly out of the long driveway.

"Mama..." Hotaru started to run towards them. "Mama..."

No longer able to hold them back, the tears spilled freely down Michiru's face. She saw Haruka grabbing Hotaru and how the little girl struggled...she saw the look on Haruka's face and felt her heart break...

The mission was what mattered. Michiru clenched the wheel tightly and wiped away her tears. For them, for her family, she would make them proud...

* * *

The sun hung low, rising slowly on the horizon. The country road was eerily quiet, not a single zombie in sight.

"You want to take a right at the next intersection, then you should see the train track right ahead of you. If we drive on it, it will take us directly to the lab..." Setsuna said as she stared at the map. "Hopefully, the track is still clear..."

Michiru nodded and swerved the car to the right. Up ahead, she could already see abandoned cars blocking the main roads. She pushed the accelerator and pushed the car up the sloping curb. _Thud._ The car protested as it rested on the tracks. "Alright, fingers crossed we don't run into an abandoned train with zombies."

In the back seat, Mako was fiddling around with her portable solar panel. The thud caused her to lose one of the screws and she swore loudly. Michiru looked at her through the rearview mirror. "You okay back there?"

"Yeah...found it. Sorry, I am just on edge." Mako met Michiru's gaze. She sighed deeply. "How long is the estimated drive, Setsuna?"

"If everything goes according to plan, this track literally pass by the lab. We will get there in three hours. If we are forced to ditch our car halfway, then I don't know..."

Michiru popped one of her CDs in and turned up the volume slightly. "Then let's settle in. It's going to be a long ride...hopefully..."

Two hours passed and their luck ran out. A derailed train blocked the rest of the way and they were forced to abandon the car. Michiru took out her spear and her bag from the trunk. Quickly, they covered the car with some fallen branches and made their way down from the track.

"Okay, let's keep going this route until we get to here, then we start running. Once we are out of the cover of the forest, then the clock starts ticking...we will try to avoid fighting for as long as possible..." Mako pointed at the map.

Setsuna gripped her axe tightly. Her breathing was shallow and her face pale.

"It's good to be scared. Fear will keep you alive. Remember that." Michiru patted on Setsuna's back. "Trust your gut."

The trio made their way through the small patch of forest, walking slowly and quietly. They took out some zombies here and there, but they were easy compared to what's to come.

"Okay. Everyone ready?" Mako looked at everyone. "Let's do this..."

They dashed out of the forest and sprinted toward their destination. Michiru could feel her palms getting sweaty and her heart pounding hard in her chest. In a matter of minutes, they could see zombies following them.

"Keep running...don't look back. We are faster." Mako urged. She grabbed Setsuna, who was starting to fall behind.

"Zombies to the right." Michiru pointed out a new herd of zombies closing in. "Come on.." She turned left and ran into one of the alleys.

The roar of the undead was getting louder, but the group kept on running. Mako and Michiru took turns navigating, while Setsuna struggled to keep up.

"Shit!" Everywhere Michiru looked, there were zombies coming from every direction. "Let's get inside." Mako nodded and smashed her axe into one of the houses' door. They quickly retreated inside and barricaded the entrance.

Setsuna sank to the floor, her chest heaving. Mako and Michiru looked at each other, realizing the situation just went from bad to worse.

"Now what?" Mako threw up her hand. "I wasn't going to use the grenades till later, but maybe we should now?"

"What? You brought grenades? We had grenades?" Michiru raised her eyebrows.

"Ami. She got it from the trading post. Anyway, she told me not to use it unless it was the last option. The noise would draw more zombies in, but should momentarily clear a path for us."

"I...have...a...better idea..." Setsuna squeezed out the words between breaths. "Let's go see... if there're any zombies trapped in this house. I heard a shuffling sound earlier..."

"Why? We need to conserve our energy. One lone zombie upstairs is no threat." Mako said as she looked out the window. "The herd is getting bigger..."

"Trust me. Go kill it and bring the body down here." Setsuna unzipped her bag and took out her med kit. "The only way through that herd is to become one of them...zombies identified the livings through smell. We need to cover ourselves in zombie blood and guts."

After twenty minutes and a whole lot of mess, the trio was ready. They dosed themselves in blood and guts, and for good measures, Setsuna drapped some intestines around their necks. Now smelling like decomposing bodies, the group was prepared to head out. Michiru glanced up and could see some storm clouds rolling in overhead and prayed that they would have enough time to make it to their destination before the rain fell…

"Remember. Walk like them. Don't run and don't make a sound." Setsuna instructed. "Let's go."

They opened the door and stepped out. Michiru held her breath as the zombies got close to sniff her. The pungent smell got stronger, as the dead bodies surround them. Fighting back a gag reflex, Michiru willed her body to relax.

Slowly, the herd started to dissipate and the trio made their way through the crowd. They walked through Tokyo, blending in with the rest of the undead.

A low rumble sounded and the sky turned darker. They looked up in fear, as drops of rain started to fall. Michiru looked down in horror and saw her zombie blood started to wash off, leaving behind a trail of red.

Getting a new whiff of human scent, the zombies turned lively again. At first, disorganized. Then, they start to converge again.

"Run!" Mako grabbed Setsuna, and the three of them started running again.

Michiru looked back at the crowds following and her heart sank. She turned and looked at Mako and Setsuna running ahead. In that split second, she made a decision. The mission was what mattered. Michiru said a silent goodbye and then turned in the opposite direction. They were still a good 15 minutes away from the lab, Michiru needed to buy them some time...

* * *

"Michiru? Where is Michiru?" Mako asked in horror. She was just there a minute ago.

"No. We have to keep going..." Setsuna started to run faster.

Mako slowed her pace and turned to face the herd. She couldn't abandon Michiru. She just couldn't.

All of a sudden, a beautiful melody sounded from the distance. They stopped and turned to its source.

Michiru was perched on a second floor overhang and playing her violin. The herds changed directions and started to advance towards her.

Setsuna looked down and clenched her fists. Then she shook her head and looked up with new determination. "We. Have. To. Go!" Setsuna grabbed Mako's hand and yanked Mako out of her stupor.

Reluctantly, Mako followed. Michiru would be safe for now...but for how long? How long could those columns stand with that many zombies pushed against it?

* * *

 _A.N._

 _I know in the anime and manga, Setsuna is a bad ass fighter. In this AU however, she doesn't have any fighting training and so I am making her physically weaker._

 _Also, I think even though Setsuna is both loyal and have a strong sense of duty, in this case, she chose duty over loyalty. She wouldn't want to waste Michiru's sacrifice..._


	18. The Woman on the Screen

**Chapter 18-The Woman On the Screen **

Michiru closed her eyes and savored the moment. She hadn't played since the world changed. Too busy surviving, too busy keeping quiet, her violin was always safely tucked away in her bag. It would still travel to wherever Michiru went, but it was silenced.

She pressed down on the strings and felt nostalgic. The gentle vibration of the wood against her neck was familiar, soothing...It reached all the way to the bottom of her heart.

"I am sorry." Michiru uttered an apology as the rain continued to descend. The violin would certainly not survive after this.

Up ahead, she could see two figures running full speed, away from her and the zombie crowd. Mako had stopped momentarily when she realized Michiru had deviate from the plan, until Setsuna finally talked some sense into her.

"Just you and me now..." Michiru said to her beloved violin. The only thing left of her old life. She had held this and performed in numerous concerts, received thunderous applause. This would be her last conversation with her oldest friend...

* * *

Setsuna looked out the window and breathed a sigh of relief seeing Michiru still standing. The crowd underneath had increased exponentially. Why was she still playing? She should stop now and try to get out.

"Almost there..." Mako's muffled voice came out from behind the computer.

Setsuna returned her attention to the outside world. So far, Michiru's plan was working, drawing all the zombies toward her, leaving the lab building empty and safe. Thanks to her quick thinking, Setsuna and Mako was able to get to the third floor in record time.

The gentle hum of the computer came on, followed by Mako's excited holler.

"Okay, my turn." Setsuna settled down and started to type. "Mako, you keep watch."

After entering several passwords and passed the security clearance, the screen flickered and then Setsuna was in. She didn't tell the others but she didn't exactly have the clearance for this. It was Mamoru's passcode.

"Uh oh..." Another security question popped up. Setsuna frowned and narrowed her eyes. Then her eyes widen in excitement.

"What? What? Can you get in?" Mako asked without turning her head.

"The protocol changed since the last time Mamoru logged in. That could only mean one thing...someone is still maintaining this network's security. Someone, somewhere in another lab, is still alive..." Setsuna didn't miss a beat in typing. "Unfortunately, I don't have the last item. So I will be hacking into their network. This might take a while..."

* * *

The violin groaned and cracked, squeezing out the last note as it died. Michiru sighed and cradled the violin in her bosom. "So sorry, my old friend."

The zombies stopped momentarily when the music stopped, but then they resumed in their quest for human meat with new frenzy...their arms reached out, clawing in the air...

Michiru sighed and sat down on the cold, wet concrete. She opened her bag and put her violin back in. What should she do now? She didn't exactly plan this. As she rummaged through her bag, her hand touched something strange and she pulled it out...

Her eyes widen and tears welled up. It was a firefly origami. Hotaru must have snuck this in her bag. On the back, she wrote, "papa and I will be waiting."

Michiru kissed the origami and placed it back. She wiped her tears and then got back up. She couldn't just sit here and wait for her death to come. She needed to fight through this and get back home.

* * *

Seconds ticked by and the silence outside was getting eerie. Mako peaked out the window and saw Michiru packing up. The music had stopped. The crowd underneath was getting bigger and bigger still...

"How much longer?" Mako asked. She was feeling restless. Perhaps she could go out there with the grenade? And then fight through whatever's left and save Michiru.

The frantic typing of the keyboard answered Mako's question. Setsuna was still not in yet...

Mako started to pace. If Ami was here, maybe she would have a solution by now. Mako bent down and look through her supplies. Two handguns, a few boxes of ammo and two grenades. Would that be enough to fight through hundreds of zombies?

"How much longer?" Mako asked again.

"Almost..." Setsuna replied without missing a beat. "Okay, wish me luck." She said as she pressed enter.

Suddenly, the screen flashed and the webcam was lit. A woman wearing a lab coat appeared and looking alarmed. "Who are you?"

"My name is Meioh Setsuna. I used to work in this lab. I have important information to share. Who are you?"

"That is classified." The woman replied coldly.

"Is your lab functional? How many researchers are left?"

"That is classified." Same answer, no answer.

Setsuna drummed her fingers on the table. She appeared calm but Mako knew she was getting frustrated. Mako could see her thinking, calculating...

"What information do you have? Perhaps we could be of assistance." The woman offered.

Setsuna closed her eyes and sighed. "We have a survivor. She was bitten by zombies and she lived to tell the tale. My partner and I took some blood samples and we were positive it was antibodies for the zombie virus. I am taking a huge leap of faith here by telling you this. If I could get her to you, maybe we can work out a vaccine?"

The woman gasped audibly. Her cold composure dropped away. "Show me."

"She is not here. She is safe somewhere else. Please tell me your lab's location so we can get there." Setsuna looked worried now.

The woman sighed. It was her turn to be paranoid. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't. I don't know if I can trust you either. So, how do you propose we solve this dilemma?" Setsuna raised her voice, unable to contain her frustration now. "Look, this girl will save the world. Please help us."

"Hold on. Let me speak with my supervisor." The woman left the screen. Moments later, a different sat down.

"Tell me everything you know. Show me yours and I will show you mine." The older woman demanded. Setsuna clenched her fists, but she obliged. She recounted how Usagi didn't turn after a zombie bite, how the wounds healed over time and a whole bunch of science stuff that Mako didn't understand.

After a long and lengthy interrogation, the woman in charge finally nodded. "Okay, we are located at a secluded location. However, we can meet up in a neutral location, I will send out a small team to retrieve you guys. Be warned, if you are lying, we will take appropriate countermeasures."

"Understood. Thank you. What's your name?" Setsuna jot down the information quickly.

The woman hesitated a bit and then relented. "Just call me Dr. M for now."


	19. Home Sweet Zombie

**Chapter 19-Home Sweet Zombie**

The sun was beginning to set when Michiru started her own rescue mission. The rain finally stopped and the sun peaked out for one last time, before retiring over the horizon. Michiru knew she had to get inside the building, soon.

The zombie crowd was relentless still, pushing and shoving against the two weak columns that supported the overhang. A slight shift under her feet told Michiru that it wasn't going to hold any longer.

Michiru shielded her eyes and raised her flashlight. The window shattered loudly, showering the zombies below with thousand pieces of glittering fragments. The crowd responded by groaning louder…

She grabbed her stuff and climbed through the hole she made. She blinked hard as she tried to adjust to the darkness inside, as she walked slowly along a long narrow corridor. Randomly, Michiru chose a unit that had a busted lock.

As Michiru pushed the door open, a wave of dust whiffed by, causing her to cough. She walked in slowly and quietly. A quick glance around showed that there were no zombies or humans inside. Michiru dropped her bag on the floor and plopped herself down on one of the chairs.

The unit she broke into was small but she could see why it would be lovely once. Rows of dead plants were still on the window sills. Spider webs and dusts adorned the place, covering what was once normal under a layer of despair. Her eyes rested on a doll lying on the floor and Michiru walked over to pick it up. It squeaked as she squeezed it. It must have belonged to a child.

She quickly rummaged through the house to see if there were any food or water left. "Ah," an uncontrollable squeal came out when she came across a box of strawberry pockey. She quickly stuffed it in her bag. Even though her stomach was growling, she wanted to save this for Hotaru and Chibiusa.

Michiru couldn't help but kick herself for not having food in her bag. Instead, she had packed all of the food and water into Mako's backpack. Finally, Michiru found some crackers and a can of soda and she settled down on the floor to enjoy her meal.

Suddenly, a thud came from one of the bedrooms. Michiru quickly reached for her spear and stood up. She listened again. She was definitely not alone...

Michiru tiptoed over and pressed her ear against the door. There was shuffling, and then fingernails were scratching at the door. She looked at the door handle and debated whether to let this one go or not...one trapped zombie, probably not worth the effort...

She returned back to the kitchen floor and continued her meal, keeping one eye on the bedroom door. The scratching from the bedroom was becoming more frantic now, desperate...

Finally, unable to stand it any longer, Michiru grabbed her spear and headed toward the bedroom door. "Hello?" Michiru spoke through the door. No answer. Definitely a zombie.

She took a deep breath and opened the door quickly, her arm raised, her spear pointed...

"What?!" Michiru looked at the empty room in surprise. She took a tentative step forward, still on her guard.

"Argh..." A sound came from behind the door and Michiru spun around. Her eyes widen in shock as a child zombie started to charge at her...

One moment of hesitation was all it took. Michiru tripped over the bed post and tumbled backwards. The child was on top of her in a flash, teeth out and claws out...

Michiru held her at arms length, preventing the zombie from sinking her teeth in. She could feel tears in her own eyes as she stared at the child monster. She looked to be Hotaru's age. The child was wearing bear pajamas, her hair split into two high pig tails, the child was an image of innocence and evil all bundled into one…

Suddenly, a knife came into view and the child was slain. Michiru cried out as the child laid limp on her.

"Are you okay?" A woman with short wavy pink hair offered her hand. "Are you bit? Hurt?"

Michiru got up and picked up the body of the child. She placed the child on the bed and fixed her pigtails. "Rest in peace now..."

"She's your child?" The woman asked.

"No. I am just passing through. She is my daughter's age though, so..." Michiru looked down sadly at the little girl.

"Hmm. Name's Elsa Grey, what's yours?" The woman offered her hand again.

"Michiru." She finally took the stranger's hand and shook it. "Do you live here? In this building?"

"Nah, just passing through, until some idiot started playing the violin. So I was forced to stay just a bit longer…" Elsa shrugged. "Are you trapped?"

Michiru felt her face turned red. She was mortified to think that her action might bring doom to whoever might still be in this building. "Yeah...anyway, any idea how to get out of here?"

Elsa beamed and pointed upwards. "We go up..."

Michiru raised her eyebrows. "And then?"

"Hope you are not afraid of heights. That's all I'm saying..." Elsa chuckled and head towards the door. "Coming or not?"

Michiru nodded but tightened her grip on her spear. The woman seemed nice, but one could never tell anymore.

* * *

"Okay, let's go." Setsuna packed up her stuff. She had copied down the rendezvous information and passed an extra copy to Mako.

Confused, Mako tilted her head. "What for?"

"Just in case if I don't make it. One of us has to make it home and give this to the group." Setsuna said in her usual calm voice.

Mako took the paper and stuffed it in her pocket. "We are all making back. Michiru included. Got any idea on how to get her out?"

Setsuna looked out the window and shook her head. "Best bet is for us to get to the building next to the overhang. Then we find some ropes and maybe climb over. Very risky. Or, we stay put in that building for one night and then wait for the crowd to dissipate. Without a stimulus, they would get bored and move on eventually."

"I saw Michiru broke into the building alright. She looked okay." Mako put on her backpack and was ready. "Now let's get to that building and hunker down for the night. I vote wait it out too. I think Michiru would be smart enough to stay put, and wait for us."

Setsuna nodded and followed Mako silently. Truth was, despite her calm exterior, she was freaking out inside. That conversation with Dr. M was unsettling. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she knew something wasn't right.

There was a reason why Setsuna didn't just find a radio station and broadcast the information she had. They would end up with a mob in front of their house, hoping to kidnap the "cure". She was hoping that by doing it this way would give her a sense of security, that Usagi would be safe...but could anyone be safe anymore nowadays?

Once they were out of the lab, they started running. The building they were headed for was largely neglected by the zombies. Setsuna threw a flare in the opposite direction, attracting the rest of the strays.

The building they entered was once a dorm for the university. It was once filled with lively energy of youths, but now it stank of death. Setsuna wrinkled her nose and tried to breath through her mouth.

"Be careful, there might be more trapped upstairs. The smell is really strong here..."

Mako nodded. Her axe poised, she was not letting her guard down. "Okay, let's stop here." She opened the door leading to the hallway. It creaked loudly and both of them stopped in their tracks.

Mako poked her head out and looked both ways. "Clear." She motioned for Setsuna to follow.

Eventually, they made their way into one of the dorm rooms. Exhausted, Setsuna laid herself down on the lower bunk. Mako secured the door and then started to rummage through the room.

"What do we have here..." Mako's face lit up when she opened the mini fridge. "Beer, beer, beer, beer, and more beer..."

Setsuna grabbed one, popped it open and chuck it all down. Mako looked at her with shock. She quickly followed suit though, opening one and downing one in seconds.

The alcohol entered the bloodstream quickly and Setsuna could feel the effects within minutes. She sank back down onto the soft mattress and allowed herself to forget...

She didn't want to question herself anymore…did she do the right thing telling Dr. M all that she knew?


	20. Oops

**Chapter 20-Oops**

Michiru turned around and stared at the sun spilling through the window blinds. Squinting, she continued to stare at it. Dust particles danced in the air, making swirling patterns as a breeze blew through.

Elsa Grey was still snoring, on occasion muttering something. Michiru got up from the floor and stretched. Sleeping on hard wood floor was not easy for her joints and muscles.

Last night, after they got to the top of that roof, Michiru was mortified to find out that the brilliant plan of Elsa's was to zip line across to the other building. Not normally scared of heights, but the thought of zip lining over a pit of zombies had momentarily paralyzed Michiru.

"Come on, it's easy. Just make sure to release this safety hatch once you get over there and then send the zip back." Elsa said as she fasten the hook on Michiru's belt.

She was still silently preparing herself when Elsa sent her flying. She clamped her mouth shut, even though she wanted to scream. Instead, from Elsa's point of view, she glided it across bravely and landed gracefully.

"Not bad." Elsa patted her on the back once she landed too. "Thought you would scream."

Michiru waved her hand, "Piece of cake. Now, are we going to zip line across all the roofs?"

"Nah, let's stay here for a bit. This used to be a dorm and I am expecting to find some goodies here." Elsa winked and darted towards the stairs.

An hour of scavenging later, Elsa proudly showed off her goodies. Some snacks and a lot of beer. Lots and lots.

"Nah." Michiru tossed the beer can back at Elsa. "I will keep watch. You sleep."

Elsa pouted and then tossed her head back as she chugged. "Darn. I was hoping to seduce you once you get drunk..."

Michiru opened her mouth in surprise and then closed it. She chuckled softly to herself but she kept a straight face..."you need beer to seduce a girl?"

Elsa widened her eyes but quickly recovered. "Ouch. Say, you got a girlfriend or boyfriend tucked away somewhere? 'Cause I am no home wrecker..."

"We are practically married. Also, we are raising a little girl together." Michiru said as she handed a photo to Elsa.

Elsa slammed her beer down hard and her mouth dropped. "Tenou Haruka? Seriously? You are dating her?"

"What?" Michiru perked up her ears, sensing a good story coming.

"That douche bag beat me at every single track and field competition. Then, she had the audacity to steal a girl from me at the bar." Elsa handed the photo back and shook her head.

Michiru traced her finger around Haruka's face. "Yeah, she flirts a lot. Or at least, she used to."

"I heard she was rich before, right? Rumors had it that her father bought her a helicopter and a Ferrari for her 16th birthday. Crazy, right?" Elsa waved her hands wildly, as she down her third beer.

Michiru nodded. One thing was for sure. Apocalypse didn't discriminate. Rich or poor, everybody fell. Haruka was such a free spirit before, a bit arrogant but she hid a good heart underneath it all. She used to laugh more too.

"Hey, you are up." Elsa's voice brought Michiru out of her train of thought. "What's for breakfast?"

Michiru tossed the cracker box at Elsa. "So, we should get going soon. I want to make it to the infections disease building over there, and meet up with my friends."

"Any of them single? And gay?" Elsa spewed out some bits as she talked with her mouth full.

Michiru shook her head. "You are unbelievable. Anyway, I saw the zombie herd had thinned somewhat, we should make a run for it."

Elsa peeked out the window. "No can't do. Two against that many, that's suicide."

"Or zip line again?"

"Maybe. But first, let's go down a few floors and scavenge some more. I am actually running out of food back at my camp. If you help me, I will help you get to your friends. Deal?" Elsa wiped her hand on her pants and the offered it for a shake.

"Fine. And by food, you meant beer?"

"Best currency out there besides cigarettes and pain killers." Elsa grinned. "I can trade a whole basket of food with 2 cans of beer. Say, you ever been to the trading post? Best place ever, you can get pretty much anything."

Michiru gathered up her stuff and was standing by the door. "Ready yet? Come on..."

"Coming, coming..." Elsa said begrudgingly.

* * *

"Hey, wake up." Mako gently tapped on Setsuna. "The herd is thinning. We should get moving."

Setsuna rubbed her eyes and sat up. Immediately regretting her action, she bought a hand to her forehead. "Oh...how much did I drink last night?"

"About 3 cans before you passed out. Are you okay?" Mako frowned and searched Setsuna's face for clues. Mako had sensed something was wrong since yesterday.

Setsuna merely shook her head. She grabbed a nearby bottle and took a sip of the water. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have drank last night."

"Hey, we all need a little unwinding. Sometimes warm beer will do." Mako patted her friend on the shoulder. "Now, let's go see if we can find Michiru."

Moments later, Mako and Setsuna made their way down the long hallway toward the stairs.

Suddenly, Mako stopped and she brought one finger up to her lip, telling Setsuna to be quiet. Footsteps were heard coming down the stairs.

"Here." Mako grabbed Setsuna and crouched down, behind the stairs door.

* * *

Michiru trailed behind Elsa, who was talking her head off. She was pretty sure she had learned every single thing about Elsa, down to the details of her favorite brand of coffee.

"We should keep quiet. Don't want to attract zombies."

"Whatever. They can't take the stairs." Elsa waved nonchalantly and continued on with her tale. "So I said to the hot chick, let's go to my place. Sure, she said. Then she went to the bathroom and came out with her tongue down Tenou's throat. Urgh...I swear if..."

Elsa's speech was halted in mid sentence. She held up her hand to stop Michiru. She mouthed the word "people" and slowly drew her knife from her belt.

Michiru nodded and gripped her spear.

Elsa started to head toward the doorway. Suddenly, a familiar figure jumped out and flung Elsa over her shoulder.

"Mako, stop. She's with me." Michiru yelled before Mako's fist made contact with her new friend's face.

Mako's eyes lit up and she ran up to Michiru. "You are here. You made it." A bear hug quickly followed, leaving Michiru gasping for breath.

"Too tight...too...tight."

"Oh sorry, I am just glad to see you." Mako released her hug and smiled apologetically.

"Mako, Setsuna, this is Elsa. She saved me from a child zombie yesterday." Michiru did a quick introduction and everyone said hi.

Elsa rubbed her shoulder and winced in pain. "Remind me not to cross you." She steered clear of Mako and stood next to Michiru.

"Okay, now that we are all here, let's get out of here." Setsuna started to walk down the stairs.

"Wait, we can't fight through that many zombies." Elsa protested. She looked at Michiru pleadingly.

Michiru smiled reassuringly. "Is Mako scary to you?"

Elsa nodded. She darted a gaze to Mako, who now looked harmless enough though.

"I once saw Mako handled twenty zombies all by herself, bare handed." Michiru's high praise caused Mako to blush intensively.

Elsa looked at Mako again and nodded slowly. "O...Kay. Fine."

The four of them continued on, making their way down to the first floor. Mako scanned the hallway and then signaled all clear.

Outside the door, Mako could see the zombies walking about aimlessly. As soon as they open that door, they would swarm them for sure.

"Alright. Form a square. Back to back. We can fight through this..." Mako tightened the straps on her backpack and then stretched her arms, readying herself for a fierce battle.

Setsuna and Michiru nodded too, agreeing with the plan.

Elsa took a step back and grinned apologetically. "Sorry, change of plans."

"What?!" Mako asked angrily. Suddenly, something exploded from a far. Ropes were thrown from the sky and a few soldiers descended.

Machine guns were drawn and bullets rained down on the undead. In record time, the soldiers neutralized the zombies.

Michiru turned and stared at Elsa in disbelief. "Who are you?" Her head rewinded to last night, as she tried to remember what she said last night. It was becoming clear that Elsa was foe instead of friend. All that chatting she did, it was to bait Michiru to give away crucial information….

"Like I said, change of plans. You are all coming with us." Elsa pulled out a handgun from nowhere and aimed it at Setsuna. "She's the important one right? Don't try anything or I will put a bullet in her head."

The soldiers came in and put them in handcuffs. Michiru turned to Elsa again. "Why are you doing this?"

Elsa sighed and walked closer to Michiru. "Just be glad that it was me that got the call. I was really at the trading post nearby when I heard the orders and I volunteered to keep an eye on you guys. Just be glad it was me and not the other team…"

Mako tugged violently at the handcuffs and rammed against the soldiers. Elsa pulled out a tazer and zapped the giant, until she was no longer a threat. Elsa then turned to Michiru and her face was dead serious.

"Beach house, facing the ocean, surrounded by forest? It was a nice picture. Thanks, Michiru. I will bring everyone in." Elsa said in a cold voice as she placed a black bag over Michiru's head. "Couldn't have done it without you..."

* * *

 _A.N._

 _Anime Michiru would never made this kind of mistake. However, human Michiru never went through the trauma of being a senshi, so I am making her slightly less paranoid._


	21. Kidnapped

**Chapter 21-Kidnapped**

Usagi wiped the sweat off her forehead and stood up to stretch her back.

Rei stopped working and looked at Usagi. "Slacking off already?"

"No. Just admiring the view. What do you think Mako will make with these harvest? Mm I am getting hungry just thinking about it." Usagi rubbed her stomach as it growled.

Rei shrugged and carried on her task. "They should be back by today, maybe in the afternoon."

"Hey, lunch is ready. Come in and eat." Haruka appeared, wearing Michiru's apron.

"Who put you on lunch duty?" Rei asked with worry in her voice.

"Me or Minako. Which would you rather?" Haruka crossed her arms defensively.

Rei's face paled, thinking back to the congee Minako made last night. "You. Definitely you. Oh, and next time, don't send the two people that know how to cook on a death mission, okay?" The words were out before Rei could stop it.

Haruka scowled and walked back into the house.

Rei made a mental note to apologize later. Truth was, she was getting worried herself. The gang should be back by now. Ever since last night, Rei had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She felt like something had gone terribly wrong….

* * *

Minako sighed as she felt boredom creeping in. She was starting to feel torched under the midday sun and she fanned herself uselessly with her hand.

The walkie talkie crackled and Ami's voice came through. "Hey, any sign of them yet?"

"Nope." Minako sighed. "I am starting to get worried."

"Me too. Let's wait till tonight before we start to freak out. Mako is strong, she will be alright."

* * *

Hotaru took a small bite of the food and forced herself to swallow. Not as bad as last night's congee, but still...

Chibiusa took a giant bite and her face instantly showed regret.

Haruka sat down at the table and looked at them sheepishly. "So, do you girls like it? I followed Michiru-mama's recipe, should be pretty similar."

Hotaru forced herself to take a bigger bite and then beamed at papa. "It's delicious. Thank you."

Taking the cue from her friend, Chibiusa bit her tongue and continued eating. Food was still food, no sense wasting them.

Seiya strolled in and helped herself to a portion. One bite in and it was immediately spat out. "Oh my gosh, who cooked this?"

Haruka turned and glared. Seiya sneered. "Next time, please let me cook."

* * *

When the attacked started, they never saw it coming….

A tranquilizer came flying and hit Minako in the back. The walkie talkie dropped from her hand while Ami was still talking. Minako fought to keep her eyes open, tried to stand up…

Another dart hit her and she collapsed on the roof. Her hand never reached the gun by her side…

Seconds later, smoke grenade was fired into the house. Haruka and Seiya grabbed the kids and tried to run. A few steps in and they collapsed to the floor.

Ami was running out of the house when she was grabbed. She fought hard before she was knocked out and bagged.

* * *

"What was that?" Usagi turned to the commotion coming from the house. She looked back and saw soldiers approaching the house…

"RUN!" Rei grabbed Usagi's hand and ran towards the forest.

Usagi struggled as she continued to look back. Her face paled when she saw a soldier carrying a child with pink hair. The child was limp…

"Chibiusa!" Usagi freed herself from Rei's grasp and ran back to the house…

Rei grabbed her bow and arrows and started to shoot at the soldiers. _Zing_. One arrow caught the shoulder blade of the one running towards Usagi. Rei took the chance to grab the hysterical girl and half dragged her away from the house.

"We have to keep going. Run. I am right behind you." Rei barked out her orders.

Usagi staggered and stumbled, tears rolling down her face but she kept going…

 _Thud_. Usagi heard the sickening noise and turned back. Rei laid motionless on the floor, a dart sticking out of her back…

"No. Rei…." Usagi's scream hang in the air.

She felt it. When the tranquilizer hit her in the back of her neck, there was a moment of sharp pain as the needle broke the skin. Then everything started to get blurry….

* * *

"We got everyone." Elsa Grey spoke into her communicator.

"Well done, soldier. Bring them in." A man replied.

"Thank you, Colonel Demande."


	22. Dr M

**Chapter 22 Dr. M**

Footsteps were heard coming in to the room. They sounded light. The person checked on the IV drip and then left.

Ami kept her eyes closed until the room was quiet again. She slowly opened her eyes and winced. She touched the back of her head and felt the bump. They were attacked. That was the last thing she remembered…

Ami sat up on the bed and looked around the small room with strangely white walls. All four walls were padded and the room was void of any furniture, besides the bed. She could see a window to her right, small and barred. Ami looked down and saw that she was wearing a hospital robe. The IV was attached to her arm, which she promptly ripped out, leaving droplets of blood on the meticulously white tiles.

She shivered as she got up and her bare feet touched the cold floor. Her clothes and shoes were nowhere to be found. She tip toed across the room and peaked out the window. She could see some soldiers patrolling outside, a few army convoys, and some people walking around in white lab coats…

Suddenly, the lock turned and the door was pushed open. Ami spun around and came face to face with someone she thought she would never see again...

The words were almost out before the woman made a signal for Ami to be quiet. She then smiled and extended her hand. "Hi, I am Dr. Mizuno."

Shakily, Ami took her mother's hand. The questions came crashing through in her head, but she swallowed them back. There must be a reason why her mom just silenced her now.

"I am Ami..Kyoko." The first surname that came to mind was her father's. She saw her mother widen her eyes and then regained her composure.

Ami knew she was staring too much, but tried as she might, she couldn't take her eyes off the woman. If she blinked, would the woman disappear?

When the city first ordered the evacuation, Ami tried to get to save her. When she got there, the hospital was already overrun need by zombies.

Ami ran and ran and never looked back. She presumed her mother was dead.

"So sorry for the incarceration. All new comers must be quarantined and checked. Don't worry; all of your friends are safe. In the mean time, sit back and try to relax." Dr. Mizuno smiled.

"Wait. Can I see them? Please?"

Dr. Mizuno thought for a second and then nodded. "Okay. As long as you promised to let us put that IV back in you. It's just nutrients. You girls are all severely malnourished." Her eyes softened and her motherly concern shone through.

Ami nodded emphatically. She then put on the slippers that were offered and followed her mom out. Once she was out, she recognized that the building used to be a mental hospital.

"Here are the first three we brought in. I have already talked to Setsuna and she will soon be cleared. She will join us in the lab. She also said you have helped a lot with the research and vouched for you to get a job here too." Dr. Mizuno looked at Ami proudly.

Ami didn't hear the rest past the first sentence. Mako was alive! Then her heart sank. Mako was captured too.

"She is someone special?" Dr. Mizuno could tell as soon as they got to Mako's room. Ami cling to the window on the door, her eyes teary. She made a small nod but continued to stare into the room. Mako was sleeping soundly.

"We have to keep her sedated. She was pretty upset when we first brought her in. Granted, Colonel Demande's method was questionable, but we had to be sure..." Mom trailed off and looked down.

Ami nodded slowly. Her brain was turning at a million miles per hour, as she tried to process this. Her mom's alive. Mako was alive. Everyone seemed safe but the unrelenting unease was growing inside of her. Plus, mom's weird behavior was a dead giveaway. Nothing was as it seemed.

"M..Dr. Mizuno, when will you release everyone?"

Her mom's eyes turned dark for a brief moment. Her face was still smiling though. "Just hang in there. We will let you out soon."

Somehow Ami doubt that...

"Okay, now that you know your friends are safe, let's get you back to your room." Dr. Mizuno put a hand on Ami's shoulder.

That night, Ami laid in the cold room and curled herself into a fetal position. The tears came, inevitably. She looked up in the sky and saw the moon shining brilliantly outside. Somehow, it soothed her a bit, allowing herself to calm down enough in order to think.

One clear thought punched through all others. They had to get out of here. Her mother was as much of a prisoner as they were and she needed to be rescued too.

* * *

Dr. Mizuno didn't think she could do it, but she did it. All she wanted to do, when she first laid eyes on Ami in the chopper, was to pull her daughter into her own arms. It felt like spears going through her heart when she coldly introduced herself, pretending she didn't know her.

Luckily, she could always count on Ami figuring things out in record speed.

"Dr. Mizuno, how are the newcomers? Are the results back?" Colonel Demand sat in his chair and slowly sipped his precious wine.

"Yes, Colonel. Usagi, the girl with the blonde hair, is the one with the antibodies. The others' blood came back normal." The doctor could feel her heart beat increasing, as she anxiously waited for her next order.

"Good. How long till you can cook up the first test batch?" He poured himself another glass of wine.

"Perhaps a week? Or longer? It's hard to say." Dr. Mizuno reported falsely. A plan had already hatched in her mind.

Colonel Demand swirled the wine in his glass and looked thoughtful for a while. "Last time it only took three days."

"Well, we failed, didn't we? Lost 10 subjects that day. With this one, we need to be sure. It might be our last chance to save humanity." The doctor paused, and then added, "in the meantime, maybe we should integrate the girls into block A? Let them out of the cell, reunite with each other..."

"Why? They are here to serve a purpose, not to party."

Dr. Mizuno cringed. Was that all they been doing? Treating people like that? It was easy to be objective when you were sticking needles into strangers. With Ami here, the doctor made a different choice.

"Well, if we can perhaps make them feel safe, they might even volunteer for the testing. Some of these girls were unlike our past subjects. They were exceptional fighters. Makoto, the tall one, took out two more guards yesterday. We can't risk having our staff getting hurt. If they cooperate, our jobs will be so much easier." She held her breath as she waited.

After a long pause, the colonel finally nodded. "Alright, we will try your way first. If they cause any trouble, they will be punished. Understood?"

Dr. Mizuno stared into his cold eyes and felt hair standing on her back. She offered a weak smile and then thanked him. "I promise they will be good."


	23. Orientation

**Chapter 23-Orientation**

"Come with me." A nurse said calmly as she opened Ami's door.

"Where are we going? Where is Dr. Mizuno?" Ami asked as she put on her slippers.

"We are going to the auditorium." The nurse replied. She gestured for Ami to hurry. "Now, put on this badge. It will identify you to the others so that they don't put you back in this cell. You and your friends will be relocated to Block A, your new living quarter."

Ami glanced at the badge. Visitor. Big bold letters splashed across with her photo next to it. She turned it over and the badge has a star on it. Beside it, in tiny print, it read Visitor with special privileges. Ami made a mental note to ask her mom later.

She was the first one to arrive, so she settled down and noted all the exits in the room. Soon, the rest of them came in. Usagi seemed to have been crying. Her eyes were red and swollen. However, her face lit up when she saw Chibiusa and the rest of the gang.

Usagi flashed her signature smile and came up to hug Ami.

"I already know. Dr. Mizuno came to visit me last night and asked me to keep her secret." Usagi whispered while she hugged.

"Does everyone know?"

Usagi nodded with some uncertainty. "I think so...But why?..." She looked perplexed.

Ami merely shrugged. Too early to tell, plus there were ears and eyes everywhere...Ami needed to figure out who to trust here, besides her mom.

The door opened again and two guards escorted Mako in. Still in handcuffs and slightly sedated, Mako was still making their lives harder by continuing to struggle. It was only the sight of Ami, and the rest of the group, that finally calmed her down.

Ami ran up and wrapped her arms around her. She then turned to the guards, "Please take the handcuffs off. I promise she won't hurt anyone."

The guards, seeing a new side, a calmer side of Mako, finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, they insisted that the handcuffs be kept on until further instructions.

Ami was about to protest again when she caught her mom's gaze. Ami clamped her mouth shut and clenched her jaw, but she kept her silence.

"Hello." A voice boomed from the stage. "Newcomers, please sit down for the orientation. I am Colonel Demande. This here is my second in command, Major Saphir, and this is Captain Rubeus."

Saphir and Rubeus stood behind Colonel Demande, looking stern and cold. Demande continued to speak as he paced back and forth on the stage.

"I want to thank you girls for being so brave. You have survived for so long out there, we were amazed at how well you built your lives at that beach house. Now, Rubeus will give you guys a tour of the compound and will show you to your living quarters. As for you two young ladies, Chibiusa and Hotaru, Saphir will show you your new school."

Demande took a long pause and seemed to be looking at Usagi. The stare was creepy and Usagi shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Ami narrowed her eyes and felt troubled. Something was seriously off with that guy...

"Tsukino Usagi. Will you please come on the stage?" Demande extended his hand, beckoning her to come up.

Usagi stood up and walked towards him. She turned and looked at the gang, fear and anxiety written on her face.

Demande took Usagi's hand and stood very close to her. "So, she is the survivor, the one with the blood that could save us all. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen..."

Saphir cleared his throat and gave the colonel a stern look. Demande took the cue and moved himself out of Usagi's personal space. "Usagi, you will be going with Dr. Mizuno."

At the mention of her mother's last name, Mako turned her head around and stared at Ami. "Mizuno? What?" She mouthed the words.

"Now, Kyoto Ami and Meioh Setsuna, you guys will be assisting Dr. Mizuno in the lab." Demande looked down at his clipboard. "The rest of you will follow Rubeus back to block A and you will be assigned jobs."

"Kyoto?" Mako was looking more and more confused now. Ami shook her head, signaling Mako to stop. Mom probably didn't get a chance to debrief Mako, since she was sedated and out most of the time.

When the orientation was over, the gang was split up once again. Hotaru was holding back her tears as she followed Saphir out. Chibiusa had her arm around Hotaru, telling her everything will be fine.

Mako was led away by the same two guards. As she was leaving, she turned and looked at Ami again. She flashed a weak smile and waved. Ami ran up to her and much to the guards' protest, she gave Mako a hug.

"Behave. Don't fight." Ami whispered to her ear before kissing her on the cheek.

Mako nodded, implicitly trusting Ami to figure everything out.

Ami watched with a heavy heart as the group separated. Mako left in chains. Rei, Minako, Seiya, Haruka and Michiru left while being escorted by two soldiers. They were all hostages now. They were all prisoners...

Then, there was Usagi. Colonel seemed to be treating Usagi like an ultimate prize, with his creepy staring and inappropriate touching.

"Come." Mom put a hand on Ami's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "We have a lot of work to do..."

* * *

Usagi followed Ami, Setsuna and Dr. Mizuno to the lab. After passing several security doors and heavily guarded entrances, they reached their destination.

The lab itself looked unimpressive, just rows and rows of weird looking machines and people in lab coats walking about. Everyone stopped though once they laid eyes on Usagi.

"Nice to meet you guys." Usagi waved and smiled at the doctors. She blushed and felt like a specimen on display, as they continued to stare.

"Get back to work!" Dr. Mizuno barked her order and they reluctantly turned their gazes away. "Now, Usagi, please get on the table."

Usagi climbed onto the cold examination table and prepared herself for more needles. Truth be told, she hated this part. She looked towards Ami for comfort, but she and Setsuna were led away by another doctor.

"Dr. Mizuno, what are we going to do?" Usagi wasn't referring to the blood test and the doctor knew.

She looked around the room. No one seemed to be paying attention to them. Still, the doctor dropped to barely a whisper. "First we need to develop the first batch of vaccine. Then, we will need to get out of here..."

"It's not safe here?" Usagi could feel her palms getting sweaty. With her heart thudding loudly, Usagi studied Dr. Mizuno's face. There was fear in her eyes.

The doctor shook her head. She quickly glanced behind her again before she dropped a final warning. "We need to get you guys out of here...before it's too late."

* * *

The group followed Rubeus back to block A. He gave them a brief tour of the building and then he handed them some worn out uniforms. "Put them on."

"What are we doing here?" Minako looked at Rubeus in the eye. This whole situation simply didn't make any sense. She knew the researchers needed Usagi, but why did they take them too? The compound certainly had enough people to work its various jobs, so what purpose were they filling here?

"Let's see.." Rubeus looked down on a piece of paper. "Haruka and Seiya, you are chopping wood today. Michiru, Rei, Mako and you will go help in the kitchen. Any questions?"

Minako narrowed her eyes. Rubeus smiled and walked right up to her. He leaned in and whispered, "unless you want to warm my bed for me..."

Rei grabbed Minako's hand before her fist made contact with his face. Rubeus merely laughed and then left the room. "Do your jobs and be patient. All will be revealed soon enough..."

Minako relented and let her shoulders drop. Feeling trapped, Minako looked at her people and felt helpless. She had no idea what they were doing to Usagi now and if Hotaru and Chibiusa were safe...

"Don't trust anyone." Dr. Mizuno's warning on the paper. It was etched in Minako's mind since the first night. The good doctor came in like an angel…

"We need to get out of here." Seiya slammed her fist into the wall. "Did you see the way he looked at Usagi?"

"We have no weapons. We are outnumbered." Minako reasoned. Sure, they could probably fight their way through by taking some of the guards down and then turn the guns on the rest of them...but how far could they run?

Mako stood up and started to pace around the room. "Look, Ami told me not to fight and to behave. I think, we can't let them know what we know. We will do our jobs and wait for further instructions from Ami. She and Setsuna will also make sure that Usagi is safe."

"What about Hotaru and Chibiusa?" Michiru said sadly. "They are all alone..." Haruka walked over and wrapped her arms around Michiru.

Minako nodded. She had to give it to the enemy alright. That was one smart move to make sure they would obey. Take the kids and stuff them in a separate building...also, the little ones would make perfect hostages when the time comes...

She slipped on the uniform and turned to the group. "So, we keep our heads down and do our jobs. Keep your eyes and ears open for any weak points in the system. Hopefully, Ami and Setsuna will give us an update soon..."


	24. Duties

**Chapter 24 -Duties**

Michiru put down the knife and rolled her head from side to side. Hours and hours of being in that position had made her entire body ache. She looked down at the boxes of carrots and potatoes that she had to peel and sighed.

With such a mundane task, Michiru's mind was free to roam and the thoughts returned to Hotaru. She needed to find out where the "school" was and how to get her and Chibiusa out. They would gather up the whole gang and leave this prison...somehow.

She had tried to pry some information out of the kitchen workers yesterday. All she gathered was that the building was on the other side of the compound and that the school had about 15 students of various ages.

"Hey!" A cheery voice came from behind. Elsa Grey waved as Michiru turned and then she hopped up onto the kitchen counter.

"After what you did, you dare to approach me while I am holding a knife? You are not very smart, are you?" Michiru continued to chop her carrots, but with more force and vengeance.

"Yeesh. Chill. I am just here to chat." Elsa said as she slipped a piece of paper to Michiru.

She opened the page and her eyes brimmed with tears instantly. On it was a simple sentence. "Mama, Papa, I miss you and I love you." The writing was Hotaru's. Michiru stared at the sentence for a good minute, while trying hard to hold back her tears. No need to appear weak in front of the enemy.

"How did you get this?"

"I told you I am on your side, didn't I? I am also free to roam inside and outside. Part of the perks of being in charge of a civilian rescue team." Elsa picked up a piece of carrot and popped it into her mouth. "You might want to cut these smaller."

Michiru clenched her fists but held back her fury. A wheel started to turn in her head...

"Anyway, just want you to know I am Dr. Mizuno's friend." Elsa said with a wink. "I will try to get you an update on the kids any chance I got. I need to go find Usagi now and give her this." She waved another piece of paper, signed with Chibiusa's pink signature and dotted with pink hearts everywhere.

"Wait. Who is delivering food to the lab, do you know?" Michiru realized there was a way to communicate with them.

"Some random dude. I don't know his name. Why?" Elsa arched her eyebrows. "You know, I can be your pigeon, or mailman or whatever."

Michiru resumed her chopping. "I don't trust you."

"What?" Elsa put up her hands in disbelief. "I just told you I am on your side. You are not very smart, are you? Fine, I will prove it to you. Urgh, you and Tenou are so annoyingly suspicious and untrusting..."

With that, Elsa stormed out of the kitchen, pounding her fist on the door as she left.

* * *

Seiya raised her axe and brought it down, splintering the wood into multiple pieces. She wiped the sweat on her forehead and sighed deeply. What were they doing here? They should just take their chances, grab Usagi and storm out of here.

"Hey, I am winning." Haruka smirked and chopped another log.

Seiya snorted and resumed chopping. "Has anyone seen Usagi lately? Did Michiru say anything?"

"No news yet. Mako said Ami has a plan, and we should just sit tight and wait."

"Urgh." Seiya threw down the axe. "I should've protected her. That house made me feel safe and I dropped my guard. How the hell did they find us anyway?"

Haruka looked down and didn't say anything.

Seiya narrowed her eyes. She walked right up to Haruka and grabbed her collar. "You know something. Talk!"

Anger flashed through Haruka's face and she shoved Seiya off. "Michiru made a mistake. She screwed up, okay? Elsa was my friend and Michiru talked more than she should. There. Happy?"

"You fix it. You fix this whole damn mess." Seiya pointed her finger at Haruka. "I swear, if anything happens to Usagi..."

Before she finished that sentence, Haruka was already charging at her. Soon, the two fought and took out their frustrations on one another.

A whistle blew and Elsa appeared, along with two guards. "Stop it or I will force you to stop."

"Fine." Seiya could taste blood in her mouth. Haruka rubbed her own swollen face and glared at Seiya. Reluctantly, they let go of each other.

"I need to go to medical." Haruka said while she winked at Seiya.

Elsa rolled her eyes and waved the two guards away. "I will take care of them. Soldiers, please return to your posts."

"Could have given me a warning." Seiya whispered to Haruka.

The blonde smirked. "Wouldn't make a damn difference. Now you'll get to see your Usagi, hopefully."

Elsa grabbed Haruka's collar and yanked. "Come..."

"Hey, watch it." Haruka grumbled and tried to pry Elsa's hand off. "It's my last nice shirt."

"Stop being a princess." Seiya said as she strolled by.

* * *

Usagi hugged her hospital robe tightly and stood against the wall. Her heart was beating wildly and loudly. At that moment, she felt like a prey, about to be swallowed whole by the wolf that stood in front of her.

"So, as I was saying, once we have the vaccine, we can rebuild the world together. As the person to save the world, I will become famous and worshipped. Wiseman once told me to be patient, and he was right." Demande took Usagi's hand forcibly and pulled her into his embrace.

"Wiseman? Who is that?" Usagi pushed out her arms, putting some distance between them. She hoped the question would distract him enough to stop his advance...

"My advisor. Anyway, I was saying as king of the new world, I would need a queen by my side. My gosh, we might even be worshipped like gods." He spread his lips grotesquely.

Usagi swallowed hard and could feel tears running down her cheek. When he demanded to see her, she knew something was wrong. He told everyone to leave and she caught Dr. Mizuno's gaze as she turned away shamefully.

"Mm mm...you smell nice." He leaned in closer. "So, what do you say? Be my queen? I will spare you your life..."

Usagi's face paled. "What?"

Demande's face changed all of a sudden and he took a giant step back. He appeared courteous now and all formal. He cleared his throat and then raised his walkie talkie, calling the lab personnel so to come back.

"I had a few drinks during lunch. I didn't mean that. Anyway, carry on. Tell Dr. Mizuno to come see me tonight for status report." He nodded at Usagi and then left the lab.

Once he was out of sight, Usagi sank down to the floor and tried to stop shaking. The tears came after but once it started, she couldn't stop. Never had she felt so helpless...

* * *

"USAGI!" Seiya pushed open the door and ran towards her distraught girlfriend. Seeing her curled up in a fetal position against the wall and wailing like that, Seiya could feel her blood boil. What the hell happened?

"Seiya? Seiya!" Usagi looked up with her red puffy eyes and hurled herself into Seiya's embrace.

"I am here now. What happened?" Seiya planted kisses on Usagi's head as she held her tightly.

Usagi wiped away her tears but they still kept on falling. She forced a smile on her face and just shook her head. "Nothing. I...I was just feeling lonely."

Seiya could tell she was lying, but decided not to push. They won't have much time before Elsa had to escort her back out. She wished she could be here in the lab at all times, so she could protect her.

"Hey, little kitten. You okay?" Haruka came in, followed by Ami, Setsuna, Dr. Mizuno and Elsa.

Usagi nodded emphatically. "I am so happy to see you guys. I am okay now."

Seiya scanned everyone's face and immediately her heart sank. "Dr. Mizuno, what the hell happened?"

"I am afraid we have to move our plans along, sooner than expected. Colonel Demande is acting stranger and stranger, and his obsession with Usagi is getting dangerous. Elsa, how is the process with Saphir?" Dr. Mizuno was distraught.

"He is on our side and I trust him. Despite everything that happened, he was the only one that was still somewhat sane. He has agreed to put surveillance on Demande." Elsa bent down and wrapped her arms around Usagi. "I am sorry. Hang in there, we will get you out."

Seiya tried to control her rage but couldn't. She lashed out the only way she knew how. "It was all because of you." Her fist flew out towards Elsa.

The punch echoed through the room and Elsa looked up from where she fell, stunned. Elsa stood back up and stared back at her assailant. The two of them stood, facing each other, chests heaving with anger. Elsa clenched and unclenched her fists and then dropped her shoulders. "Fine, I guess that was fair. I followed orders. That was my fault." She rubbed her jaw and winced. "Next time, I will fight back if you dare to attack."

"Save the fight for the right person." Dr. Mizuno said as she walked up to Seiya. "Right now, we still need to make the vaccine, so Usagi will be safe until then. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his ticket to be the king of Earth. Now, please help me talk to your friends. Trust Saphir and Elsa."

Seiya snorted. "There is more than one way to hurt someone. Look, just make up some excuses and have me work in the lab. I can mop the floor or clean the toilet. I want to be close so I can protect her."

Ami came up and put her hand on Seiya's shoulder. "We will keep an eye on her. It's just that he requested an alone meeting.. and we couldn't disobey without raising his suspicion. It won't happen again. Please trust us."

"Seiya, everything will be okay. I promise." Usagi looked up at Seiya, pleading silently for her to drop the subject. At a time like this, she was still putting everyone else before her own safety. "Once we have the vaccine, we will leave. Okay?"

Seiya couldn't say no to that face. Her heart only beats for Usagi now. So she nodded and followed Elsa out of the lab. She prayed that the plan they cooked up would be enough to protect everyone, especially Usagi.


	25. Strings Unraveled

**Chapter 25- Strings Unraveled**

Saphir had been staring at the screen for hours and he could feel the tension building up on his neck. Usagi had mentioned to the lab people that Demande had an advisor named Wiseman, but he had no idea who that was.

So, he kept his eyes on his superior. Who could be giving orders?

He widened his eyes and sat up straight when he saw Demande pulled out a cell phone from the drawer. He quickly put on the headphone and turned up the volume. Something wasn't right here. They haven't been able to restore cell service, despite sacrificing a lot of men trying to get the communication tower back up.

"Hey, so I stopped myself before I could make things worse." Demande spoke to the phone. "What should be our next step?" He nodded as he listened, while jotting down some notes.

"We have eight people on standby. They were friends with Usagi and they would make perfect test subjects. Yeah...yeah...okay...one of the kids is related to Usagi. Should we use her too? ...Good point...I will talk to Dr. Mizuno tonight."

Demande hang up and then walked toward his cabinet. He opened the doors and stared at whatever was inside for a good ten minutes. Then he closed them up again. Before leaving the office, he put the cell phone back in his drawer.

Saphir glanced at his watch and then back at the screen. Demande would be making his rounds around the compound for about an hour. Time to get Elsa. He needed to see what was in that cabinet and the contact number on that mysterious cell phone.

* * *

The hallway leading to Demande's office was dark and quiet. Elsa made her way down stealthily. She checked the surroundings again before fishing out the back up key from her pocket. Thanks to Saphir.

The lock made a loud click and Elsa held her breath. Her heart started to thud now. If she was caught, she would be charged with treason and she would face a very ugly death.

She slowly moved inside and then closed the door. Elsa shivered in the cold, dark room. Even though she was all alone, she still darted her eyes around, checking periodically for shadows in the hallway.

First, she went to the mysterious cabinet. Elsa took a deep breath and turned the handle on the door. A light flicker on and the inside was illuminated. Elsa's mouth dropped open and once again, she could feel hair standing on the back of the neck.

Inside the cabinet was not a secret stash of weapons, or booze or documents. Instead, it was a shrine dedicated to Usagi. There were several pictures Elsa took during the surveillance trip, some new ones he took after Usagi was in the compound, and medical documents from Dr. Mizuno. Elsa spotted a small briefcase in the back. She opened it and immediately regretted it. Inside was a small vial of blood and strands of long blonde hair.

"What the hell..." Elsa muttered.

The earpiece inside Elsa's ear boomed with Saphir's voice. "Demande cut his rounds short. He is heading back to the office…He is about 10 minutes away…Hurry."

Elsa snapped out of her shock and quickly closed the briefcase and then the cabinet doors. She walked over to the desk and searched through the drawers.

She found the cell phone and clicked it on. A picture of Usagi came on as the wallpaper and Elsa shuddered. She clicked on recent calls and found it empty. That was when she noticed that the phone indicated at the top corner that there was no cell service.

"Get out now. Get out now..." Saphir's warning boomed in Elsa's earpiece.

Elsa placed the cell phone back and pushed the drawer shut. Just as she was about to exit, she could hear someone walking down the hallway.

It was too late to leave now. The soldier looked around, desperate for a hiding spot. Finally seeing one, Elsa crouched down behind the armchair in the corner of the room.

A millisecond later, Demande strolled into the room and sat at his desk. Elsa held her breath...

Click. The phone was being turned on again, and then followed by Demande's voice. "Wiseman, I think we should get more people for the testing phase...well these girls would do fine but I feel like they might rebel soon. I should strike first..."

Elsa felt her heart stopped.

"Yeah, Usagi would be crushed, but she might finally turn to me. I will get Rubeus to do it...yes, Earth will be ours." Demande laughed as he continued to talk to a phone that wasn't connected.

At this point, Elsa finally understood. The fate of humanity rested on a lunatic...


	26. You Look Like Her

**Chapter 26- You Look Like Her**

Mako had just finished making the main course when Saphir burst into the kitchen.

"Is Colonel's meal ready yet?" Saphir set down a bottle of sleeping pills. "Put some into it and deliver it to Colonel right now."

Minako swiped the bottle into her hand. "I'll do it. On one condition."

"This is an order." Saphir's eyes widen in anger.

Minako hopped onto the kitchen counter and looked at her wrist. "Tick, tock...judging by your look earlier, this is urgent. Just give each of us a gun and some amno. We all know what's coming, and we would like some protection."

Saphir reached for his gun but he was too slow. Mako grabbed his arm backwards, painfully. "Stop now and I won't hurt you. Let's just talk this through, since we are on the same damn side."

He nodded and freed himself from Mako's hold. Rubbing his shoulder and wincing in pain, Saphir glared at the two. "Elsa is trapped in his office now. If she's found, she will be executed. Save her and I'll fulfill your wish."

Minako's face paled and she jumped off the counter. She opened the bottle and dumped a few in into the soup. "Next time, open with that..." She turned and carried the tray out.

Initially, she was mad at Elsa and had vowed for vengeance. Lately though, after been forced to work with her, Minako found that Elsa wasn't a bad person. Without her, Minako wouldn't be able to know what's going on in the lab or the outside world…Slowly, she had come to appreciate Elsa. That girl was one hell of a soldier…

Her heart raced as she walked down the hallway, all the while trying to appear normal. She couldn't lose Elsa….

Her feet froze when she got to the door. Colonel was talking to someone. "I will make Usagi fall in love with me. I will have her."

Minako grit her teeth and knock on the door. She could hear a drawer being closed and then Colonel telling her to come in.

"Hi, Colonel." Minako flashed her fake smile and turned her charm on. "Here is Makoto's special soup and fried rice."

Demande pulled out a bottle of wine from his desk. "About time. You are late."

"Ah, Mako thought the soup was too bland so she tried to fix it. Why don't you try it and see if it's suitable." Minako placed the tray on the table and edged it towards him.

Minako did a quick look around as Demande focused on opening his wine bottle. She could spot Elsa behind the armchair so Minako inched over, obscuring the view from Demande.

He sat back down and slurped at the soup. "Thank goodness I found you girls. After the last cook was being eaten by the zombies, we didn't have a decent meal till now. Maybe I should keep her..."

"Say, Colonel, once the vaccine is made, we are all free to go, right?"

He looked up and his dark eyes stared back. Then he waved his hands nonchalantly. "Sure, sure. Although I don't see why you would want to leave."

"We appreciate everything you've done for us. Providing us with food and shelter and protection..." Minako gulped back her disgust and continued to smile. "It's just this is not our home."

"Mhm. Sure." He tilted his head back and finished his wine.

"I was wondering if I could join the next supply run with Elsa." Minako continued to buy time. Five more minutes before he passes out.

Demande poured himself another glass and stood up. He approached Minako menacingly with his eyes narrowed. "Hmm...doesn't want to waste a beauty like yourself. Let Elsa and the team handle it. If you need anything, just write her a list."

Minako took a step back. Her heart was racing in full speed now and her breathing was becoming shallow. She waved a hand near her face. "Phew, it's getting hot here."

He reached out with his monster hand and placed it on Minako's neck. "Feel free to lose some clothing. It's weird, isn't it? You look like Usagi under certain light. I bet if you do your hair like hers, you guys could be twins."

"Hahaha." Minako forced out a laugh. "Come on, I am way sexier."

"Sure. I bet you are." Demande was starting to slur his speech. His eyes were unfocused and his wine glass was tipping to the side. "Maybe I will keep…"

He never got to finish his sentence. He plopped down to the ground, spilling the wine all over the floor.

"Colonel? Are you okay?" Minako bent down to double check. He was out like a light.

"Elsa. Come out. Help me get him back to his desk."

The two of them hoist him up and half dragged him back to his chair. Minako tilted his head back and start to pour more wine down his throat.

"Easy. Don't drown him." Elsa cautioned. "Still need him alive for now."

"I know what I am doing." Minako poured some wine in his glass and then set the almost empty bottle next to it. She then went over and cleaned up the spill on the floor. "He will wake up thinking he's had too much to drink again and black out."

Elsa nodded. "Good plan. Now let's get out of here..."


	27. Day One

**Chapter 27-Day One**

 _Few months before_

Dr. Mizuno fell to the couch and took a deep breath. Two back-to-back surgeries and she was spent. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

 _Ding_. Her cell phone pinged and she fished it out of her pocket. "Hey mom, I am going to my study session now. Dinner is in the fridge. Make sure to eat it when you get home." The doctor smiled as she read the message.

She hadn't been home for a few days now. She couldn't remember the last time she sat down and had a nice meal with Ami. The mother-daughter schedules just never seemed to line up. The doctor laid down on the couch again and closed her eyes. She just needed a little rest….only four more hours until her shift was over…

"Paging all available doctors to the ER." A voice boomed over the speaker.

The doctor bolted upright from her slumber. She stood up, stretched a bit and then took off running. Must be a bad day out in the real world. She would never get home at this rate.

The hallway was quieter than usual. Dr. Mizuno thought it was weird that it was deserted. She slowed her pace and looked around. Was she so tired that she lost track of time? Couldn't be later than 9pm...

Suddenly, someone grabbed her hand from behind and pulled her into the staircase. She turned and saw that it was one of her interns.

"Mimi? What happened to you?" Dr. Mizuno stared at the girl, covered in blood from head to toe.

"You can't go downstairs. Everyone is dead." The girl was sobbing, but was still dragging Mizuno up. "We need to get to the roof. Hurry!"

Mizuno followed the traumatized girl. "What happened? Are you hurt? Stop and let me take a look at you."

Her hand was swatted away when she tried to roll up the girl's sleeves. "I am okay. It's not my blood."

The pair ran up ten flights of stairs until they got to thetop. Once there, she was joined by the hospital chief and a few nurses. Some were covered in blood, just like Mimi. Some were shaking and mumbling to themselves…Dr. Mizuno looked over to the horizon and she could see a dozen buildings burning…

The night was not quiet. Sirens and screams filled the air, spreading fear and despair. Was there an attack in Tokyo? Dr. Mizuno looked down and saw that the hospital entrance was packed with a crowd of bloodied people.

Her first instinct was to run down there and helped them. Then her face paled as she realized the crowd was no ordinary people. Several of them have their heads bent backwards unnaturally. Some of them were crawling with half of their bodies missing.

Two police cars showed up and the cops came out, guns blazing. The crowd turned and walked towards the cops. Dr. Mizuno stifled a scream as the police started shooting...

"What the hell is going on?" Dr. Mizuno turned and asked Mimi.

Her intern sank down to the ground and shook her head. "At first, it was just a few people that came in with weird bites. We suspected rabies and we treated them accordingly. Then, they all start to die...and..." Mimi choked on her words and let out a wail. "They came back. They came back and attacked everyone..."

"What? Who are they?" Mizuno shook the girl. "Are we under an attack?"

The hospital chief came over and put a hand on the doctor's shoulder. "Dr. Mizuno, please calm down. We don't know anything yet. It must be a very different strain of rabies, because the victims were all pronounced dead. Yet, they came back to life and became extremely aggressive. Don't worry, the government would do something about this. We just have to wait for rescue."

Dr. Mizuno reached for her phone and dialed Ami's number with shaky hands.

"Hi, you've reached Ami Mizuno's voicemail. Please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible."

"No! No!" She could feel panic rising inside of her. "Pick up, Ami. Pick up..." She dialed the number again.

Suddenly, a gust of strong wind blew over and everyone looked up. A military chopper was approaching and everyone on the roof cheered. This must be the rescue team…

The door flew open and a soldier wearing a gas mask got off. He scanned the group and then looked down on his clipboard. "We have specific orders to bring in a Dr. - Mizuno. Where is she?"

Shocked to hear her name mentioned, she raised her hand. "That's me."

The soldier put down the clipboard and motioned for her to come closer. "Ma'am, we have to leave the city now. The chief scientist said to ask for you, so please come with us."

"What about the rest of them? I also have a daughter somewhere in the city. I have to look for her."

"Ma'am, we don't have time. The military will send other choppers into the city later to rescue any survivors. Right now, you are the top surgeon in Tokyo and we need you to come." The soldier inched closer, clearly not asking anymore. Seeing the doctor's hesitation, he took off his gas mask and looked at her directly. "We will get your daughter and your colleagues later. I myself have a wife and son waiting at home, but duty first."

Duty first. Dr. Mizuno felt like a sharp knife had just been plunged into her chest. She could've gone home yesterday, but she chose duty. Thinking there would be plenty of time for her to spend with Ami in the future...and now, she knew she had to choose duty again.

The doctor turned back to her colleagues and bowed apologetically. Mimi came up to her and smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry, I am sure they will send more choppers to save us…"

Dr. Mizuno nodded and then got in the chopper. That was the last time she ever saw her colleague and friends….

* * *

Ami felt a lump in her throat as she listened to her mother. They were both alone in the lab, unsupervised. It was a rare opportunity, a chance for the mother and daughter to talk since the apocalypse hit.

Remorse and guilt was written all over her mother's face. Ami wrapped her arms around her mother and nuzzled her face on her mother's neck. A gesture she used to do as a little girl, whenever her mother came back home, upset about losing patients. "Everything will be okay." She would whisper that over and over until her mother could calm down.

"I am glad you made it out. When I got to the hospital, it was already packed with zombies. The government did send more soldiers to help, but they joined the undead pretty quickly. Before I could figure out a way to get in, someone fired a missile into the building. I had to run, mom. I knew, at that moment, that you were dead. So I turned and ran..." Ami recounted that night, feeling the same despair engulfing her.

Dr. Mizuno wiped the tears away on Ami's face. She kissed the top of Ami's forehead and pulled her daughter in for another hug. "We don't have time to dwell on the past now. We have to find a way to get out of here."

Ami felt unease as she muttered her words. "Mom, I know you are planning to help us escape from this, but I don't think we should leave. If Demande is unfit to be a leader, then we have to plan a coup. Think about this. The lab is fully functional, and we have electricity and water here…We need this lab to make more vaccines, past the first batch. The soldiers and the rest of the research team, they deserve a fighting chance too. Michiru and Minako had been delivering food to the soldiers and charming them to talk. Demande had been reckless and he had been sending men on suicide missions outside of the compound."

"He wasn't this bad before...colonel was actually a decent man." Mom closed her eyes and sighed. "He was devastated when he found out everyone else was dead. This is the last of the country's defense."

"What happened to the other test subjects?" Ami had been afraid to ask this question before, knowing her mother would have been involved.

Her mother's face paled and she looked down in shame. "Initially, it was volunteer-based. People signed up, knowing that the vaccine could kill them if unsuccessful. They died knowing that their kids would be taken care of...that was when we first started the school. And then..."

Her mother inhaled sharply and tears rolled down her face. Ami placed her hand tenderly on top of her mother's and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I didn't know for a long time. People come in, I assumed they volunteered. I didn't find out till later that these people were coerced. Elsa's team used to be a rescue team, but now it was nothing more than a human traffic ring."

"And now, we are the next batch of test subjects...disposable, replaceable." Ami filled in the blanks. She clenched her fists and felt the fire inside of her burning a little bit brighter. The wheels in her brain started to turn, she could see clearly now...


	28. Chess Pieces

**Chapter 28 –Chess Pieces**

Ami snuck a piece of paper into Elsa's hand. "Once you get to the trading post, give this to a woman named Petz. I believe she is the one in charge now."

"Okay, Boss. Anything else? Ice cream? Champagne?" Elsa half-joked.

Ami shook her head. "Maybe, after we save the world." They needed the fire power if they were to fight through the army. The best place to get it would be the trading post. Hopefully, they remembered that they owed Ami and the others a huge favor.

She waved goodbye to the convey and then walked back to the lab.

* * *

Rei scooped the dirt back on to the hole she just dug. The guns and amno were security wrapped in a plastic bag. Ami had said the vaccine was almost in the testing phase, which was code for almost time to fight.

Rei stood up and wiped some sweat off her forehead. The sun shone brightly on the roof-top garden and it was an unusually warm day. She carried on harvesting some vegetables and placed them in the basket.

When she was done, Rei wandered over and started to look for possible sniper spots. When everything goes down, Rei was almost certain that they would have their own snipers too. Where could they hide? Rei shielded her eyes from the sun and looked far and wide.

The hospital building stood erect in the middle, amongst other buildings, which were all fenced off by three feet tall walls. That would be the perfect spot. Rei might just have to come behind the other snipers and take them out.

* * *

"Save the rotten meat," Minako yelled just as Mako was about to toss them in the garbage.

"Why would I want to do that? This could make someone very ill, or potentially kill them." Mako reluctantly placed the meat back in its container.

"It's either a bullet to their legs or rotten meat in their stomachs. We don't have to waste as much fire power if we can take them out of the fight before the fight." Minako patted the container and flashed a charming smile at Mako. "Okay, chef. Time to show your skills and see if you can mask the taste."

Mako grimaced and scratched her head. "We are rather low on seasoning. I don't know if ...oh, maybe if I over salt it? Well, care to be my Guinea pig?"

Minako snorted. "I'll be damned if I get sick before the fight. Just give it to one of the douche bags. Oh, give it to Rubeus."

Mako chuckled. She turned to open the cabinet and rummage about."What if we accidentally give it to the soldiers that were on our side? Elsa said she had convinced about 35 people to join the coup..."

"Then we will forewarn them. Skip the meat..."

Mako nodded. "Was this Ami's plan or yours?"

"Pleeeeeease. Your girlfriend is not the only smart one around here. Quite frankly, I am tired of waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Demande is bursting at the seams with insanity. Who knew when he would take us out..."

* * *

Seiya flashed a victory sign at Haruka. She had been chatting with this soldier for a few days now and it seemed she had finally charmed the soldier enough to give her a tour to the other sectors of the compound.

"I am not gay, but something about you...just screams yummy." The soldier had said earlier, while she unbuttoned her top three buttons and flashed her cleavage at Seiya.

"Okay. Just remember to take your eyes off her cleavage long enough to remember the layout of the entire compound, exit routes, blind spots..." Haruka reminded Seiya. "I saw your eyes wondered there..."

"Ah, just an act. My heart belongs to Usagi." Seiya spun around dramatically and placed her hand over her chest. "Anyway, how is Michiru's progress? Did she manage to turn more soldiers?"

Haruka nodded. Her face grew serious as she looked down. "Can we really do this? Urgh, I just want us to get out of here, so my wife isn't felt up by disgusting soldiers."

Seiya picked up her axe and swung it down hard on the wood. "We will. I have faith in us. Okay, maybe not you, but the rest of us."

* * *

Unknown to the soldier, Michiru snuck back the keys she had stolen yesterday. Now, they had access through every secure door in the compound.

"Ta da." She flashed the copies she made out of soap and tossed them to Ami.

"Was it difficult?" Ami paused eating long enough to ask the question. She had forgotten the last time she ate.

Michiru flipped her hair and smiled seductively at Ami. "I don't think anyone can resist this, male or female, eh? Anyway, jokes aside, when are we striking back?"

Ami shoved the last bite of the sandwich into her mouth. "Three days. We actually already have the vaccine made. We will start testing soon."

Michiru rested her head on her hands and thought for a moment. "How? Exactly..."

"Well, we still need a human subject to test this..."

Michiru held up her hand. "No, I mean how are we going to strike back. So far, you have each of us running errands and it's all good, but I would like to see the entire picture now."

Ami gulped and muttered her response. "I am actually counting on Demande being a melodramatic creep. He would probably get everyone together for the grand announcement, about having the vaccine. We give a signal and turn our guns at the higher ranking officers that have not turned yet."

"The soldiers mentioned that they have a zombie pit in the back. It was like their entertainment or fighting training. If we let them out..."

Ami shook her head. "I want to keep the kill count as low as possible. While some of these people are still loyal to Demande, I doubt they will be once they find out the truth."

Michiru frowned and protested. "You are counting on a lot of uncertainties..."

"Just like chess, you can only foresee so many moves. We will make adjustments as we go." Ami nodded to herself, trying to convince herself that it would be better not to kill everyone. She did have the means to, but she didn't want to. Usagi had inspired her that sometimes kindness could resolve conflicts too.

Just then, the lab door flung open and Rubeus dragged in a crying Chibiusa.

Blood drained from Ami and Michiru's faces.

"Colonel would like you to start gathering samples from this brat. Blood, bone marrow, etc. oh, he also said to give her the first shot of vaccine. Being related to Usagi, she might develop the antibodies too." Rubeus shoved the kid towards Ami.

Ami took Chibiusa's hand and pulled her into her embrace. Her voice, cold as ever, replied to Rubeus. "Tell Colonel it will be done in three days. Then we will give her the injection."

"Don't fuck this up. My neck is on the line." Rubeus snorted and left the lab.

"I am scared..." Fat tears continued to roll down Chibiusa's face.

"Don't worry, Chibi. I'll make sure you are okay." Ami pulled the child closer. Fuming inside, she wondered if she should listen to her own heart instead of Usagi's.


	29. Someone Had To Do It

**Chapter 29-Someone Had To Do It**

Ami rubbed her eyes and yawned deeply. She glanced at the clock. 4am. The ghost-quiet lab was eerie. Setsuna and her mom slumped over their desks, out like a light from exhaustion. Ami rubbed her neck and stood up.

Her stomach growled in protest, reminding Ami of her body's limitation. Ami sighed, as she found herself unable to focus anymore. She took her mom's key card and made her way down to the kitchen.

The hallways were dimly lit and deserted. Ami hurried her steps.

The kitchen was dimly lit and Ami walked in hesitantly. She relaxed when she saw a familiar figure bending over a very large pot of soup, stirring and tasting it.

"Ami?" Mako looked up in surprise. "What are you doing here? Are you not sleeping again?"

"No time to sleep. I just need to grab some food so my stomach would shut up. Couldn't concentrate with it yelling at me constantly." Ami started to rummage through the cabinets. "Do they have crackers?"

Mako walked over and placed her hands over Ami's. She wrapped her arms around the smaller girl and held her close. "Just stop. I'll make you something yummy if you promise me you'll sleep a little bit."

Ami's head nodded. "I can't stop, Mako. Usagi, Chibiusa, everyone...they are all counting on me."

Mako spun the girl around and kissed her on the lips. Taken by surprise, Ami's body tensed and then relaxed. Her body had a mind of its own and she pressed it against Mako for more. After what seemed like an eternity, they both pulled away, breathless.

"Now, how about I make you a sandwich?" Mako was already pulling ingredients out of the fridge before Ami could respond.

Ami nodded gratefully. She slid down and sat with her back against the wall. Her eyelids grew heavy and Ami stifled a yawn. "Maybe I'll just shut my eyes a bit. Wake me up when you are done..."

* * *

"Huh?" Ami opened her eyes and it was already morning. Part of the room was blanketed in the warm morning light. She was back in the lab and sleeping on the couch that was in the room.

"Hey, sleepy head." Mako appeared with food. "I had to carry you back. Now eat up, you weight nothing."

Ami grunted internally. Based on the light outside, she guessed she had slept for three hours. That was three hours gone. She caught a whiff of the food and her stomach growled loudly, reminding her that she was running empty. She figured Mako wouldn't let her get back to work without eating, so she took the tray.

Between bites, she glanced up at Mako, who was walking around the lab, examining everything. Ami couldn't help but chuckled when Mako broke one of the drawers when she pulled it out too hard.

"Shit." Mako yelped. She looked over sheepishly. "Sorry."

Ami shook her head and laugh out loud. It sounded strange to her ears and she stopped abruptly. Mako didn't notice; as she was too busy fixing the drawer.

It might be the last time she would laugh. She knew the first vial of vaccine should be ready by now. Ami had planned to tested it on herself and she didn't want to tell anyone.

"Ami, is this what I think it is?" Mako peeked into the machine. "The light is flashing here. It says "done"."

Ami abandoned her food and ran over. A thousand emotions flooded through her, as she stared at the vial. This was it. It looked so small, yet it carried the hope of humanity.

"Ami? Are you okay?" Mako studied her face intensively. "Hey, I don't know much about biology, but I kept hearing people talking about test subjects. Are we testing this on humans?"

"In the normal world, you would test it first in cell cultures. Then small animals, then larger animals before injecting this into a human. You need to look at its toxicity, it's immunocity etc." Ami explained as she gingerly took out the vial. "For us, we don't have the luxury. We will have to jump to the last phase of testing."

Ami continued to work while Mako continued to ask questions. "Will that be safe for the test subjects?"

"Subject."

"What?" Mako tilted her head.

"We are starting with only one person. Hopefully that would be enough." Ami quickly averted her gaze. By now, Mako's curiosity was in full swing and she could read Ami like a book.

Mako paused for a good few seconds and she scratched her head. "Please tell me you are not thinking of injecting this into you."

Ami looked down and pretended to be busy. Mako asked the question again and Ami ignored it. Of course it had to be her. Someone had to do it and Ami couldn't ask anyone else to risk it…

Mako's face changed from curiosity to realization and then to anger. She stared at Ami silently for what seemed like an eternity. Then, she crossed her arms and leaned against the table. "Fine, tell me what you have to do. I will stay here, in case something goes wrong."

Ami finally looked up. "I can't ask anyone else to take this risk. Demande wanted me to inject this into Chibiusa at first. I will give her a placebo later. Look, I am sorry I didn't tell you Mako. Please don't be mad, and...just in case...I love you."

"How can you say all of that in the same sentence?" Mako clenched her fists, enough to pop her veins. "I want to know, tell me what you have to do. If my girlfriend is going to die, I want to know everything."

Ami flashed the needle filled with the vaccine inside. She tapped it a few times and pushed a bit out. "I will just inject this into my veins and then wait. That's it."

"Good." Mako grabbed the needle and then shoved Ami away. Startled, Ami staggered backwards and fell onto the floor. She looked up with horror in her face.

"No, no, Mako, don't. I wouldn't know how to save you if it's toxic." Ami pleaded as she tried to get back up. The next few seconds seemed to be in slow motion. She watched Mako pumped her fists several times and then stuck the needle into her vein.

"Ahh, this stings." As soon as the contents were emptied, Mako dropped the needle and grabbed her arm. She took a few deep breaths and then smiled at Ami. "I am okay. Don't worry." Mako took one step and then fell to the ground, violently convulsing.

The world stopped in that moment. Ami stood, catatonic, as she watched Mako writhed on the ground.

"What the hell, Ami!" Her mother and Setsuna woke from the commotion and rushed over to attend to Mako.

Ami shook her head. "She injected herself with the vaccine. She's dead. She's dead..." Images of Mako flashed through Ami's mind. Mako dancing. Mako kissing. Mako dying. Mako as a zombie.

Someone screamed. It wasn't until her mother came up and shook her, that she realized the scream came from her. Ami collapsed into her mother's arms and wailed.


	30. If at First You Died, Try Again

**Chapter 30-If at First You Died, Try Again…**

Dr. Mizuno was back on the floor, turning Mako to the side and waited for the convulsion to subside. She didn't have time to console Ami now. The best thing she could do was to bring Mako back.

"Okay, Setsuna, help me get Mako on the table." The two heaved the now-limp girl on to the surface.

"Ami? AMI!" Dr. Mizuno yelled at her still catatonic daughter. "What was the dosage?"

Ami snapped her head around and her eyes widen. "Is Mako still alive?"

"Not for long if you don't tell me everything." The doctor yelled back.

The face on Ami changed from a grieving girlfriend to a competent doctor in a flash. She wiped her tears and took a deep breath. Her voice, no longer quivering, was steady and calm. Ami walked her mom through the last phase of the study, the dosage Mako self administered, and how quickly the drug induced the conclusion.

"V-fib. Grabbed the pads." Setsuna yelled to the doctor. Dr. Mizuno returned to her patient. Ami stood close, but she was no longer crying.

Finally, after twenty minutes, Mako's heart was back to its regular rhythms and there was no more convulsion. Ami's shoulders slumped and she let out a sigh of relief. Dr. Mizuno placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Mako was not out of the woods yet, but for now, she was stable.

* * *

Ami stayed close and monitored Mako's vitals constantly. Setsuna had came by earlier and drew some blood. She and her mother had to figure out what went wrong with the injection. Was it the dosage? Did Ami screw up somewhere along the way?

Self-berating thoughts intruded in her mind constantly, and Ami was defenseless against them. Seeing Mako paled and lifeless on the bed, it was hard not to chastise herself.

"Ami?" Usagi poked her head into the room. Chibiusa stood beside her, holding Usagi's hand tightly. The little girl whimpered when she saw Mako.

Ami motioned them to come in. The news about Mako had spread throughout the compound. For most of the people, they only thought Mako collapsed due to exhaustion.

Usagi laid down some food for Ami and then pulled the blue hair girl in for a hug. "Everything will be okay, right? Mako is so strong, she will fight through this."

"If we can't find out what's wrong with the vaccine, we are all dead anyway." Ami said in a flat voice. She was so tired... Two more days till the deadline that was arbitrary set by a lunatic. Two more days before Demande would inject the same poisonous vaccine into everyone she cared about...

Chibiusa placed a single wild flower next to Mako and leaned in to kiss Mako on the cheek. "I found this outside. It reminds me of you, so strong and beautiful...I know you are tired, but wake up soon, okay?"

Ami offered a weak smile and thanked Chibiusa. Mako would certainly appreciate the flower.

"We will be in the lab next room. Let me know if you need anything, okay?" Usagi hugged Ami again, and then left with Chibiusa.

The room was quiet again, except the rhythmic hissing of the respirator. Ami sat down and waited. She would stay here until Mako open those eyes. Then she would yell at her. Then kiss her. Then maybe yell at her again...

"Aren't you glad I did it? I am bigger and that's why I am not dead. If it was injected to Chibiusa, or you, your tiny bodies wouldn't be able to handle it. Honestly, Ami, I am the perfect guinea pig and you know it." Ami imagined Mako saying that.

"Oh, boohoo. Are you just going to give up?" The imaginary Mako was harsher than usual. "You are brilliant, you will figure this out. Eat that sandwich and march yourself back to the lab. Do what you do best, Ami, and save me."

"I can't leave you. I am staying right here." Ami whispered to Mako's ear.

Imaginary Mako cracked her knuckles and yelled again. "Time is running out. You can't give up yet."

"I am useless. Mom and Setsuna are the real researchers. I am just a regular girl that didn't even finish medical school yet. How could I possibly save you?"

The voice of reason came back, masquerading as Mako. "But you were there. You saw me inject myself. Did I do it wrong? Maybe it wasn't a dosage problem. Or maybe I did it too fast? My body went into overdrive?"

Ami's eyes widen. She bolted upright and flipped Mako's arm over. She could see the puncture mark and a gigantic swelling around the site. Ami started to notice little red rashes spread throughout the arm. Curiouser, Ami lifted the hospital gown and could see redness everywhere on Mako's torso.

"It wasn't a dosage problem." Ami whispered to herself as she continued to investigate. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh..."

Ami ran to the others. Her heart was racing, but in a good way. They've been so focused on the vaccine itself that they missed this entirely. Mako was allergic to the vaccine...


	31. Preparations

**Chapter 31-Preparations**

Mako tossed and turned on the bed, feeling increasingly restless. She was an integral part of the plan, but now she was placed on the bench.

Ami had come in and check on her earlier. Mako begged to be "discharged" so she could go prep the rotten meat stew. The celebratory dinner slash party was tomorrow night. She needed to get to the kitchen.

"Please, Ami. I am fine. Don't put me on the bench, I want to fight."

"Don't worry, Minako and I have another plan to incapacitate the soldiers." Ami said as she stuck a needle into Mako's arm. "Okay, this is the last time I am drawing your blood. We've been analyzing it and I am happy to say you now have immunity to the zombie virus."

Mako glad she did what she did. It was unfortunate that she was allergic to a component in the vaccine, but everything was okay now. Ami said the dosage wasn't a problem, which was a huge relief to everyone.

"Okay, missy. I am bringing this to mom. When I come back, I want you back in bed, hopefully asleep."

Mako groaned in protest and plopped back on the bed. "I still think this is punishment. I can't sleep anymore. I already slept for like a day yesterday."

Ami chuckled and leaned down to kiss her. "If you sleep now, I promise I will let you out tomorrow morning and I can update you on our plans."

"You do realize it's only nine, right? It's too early..." Mako whined but she could feel her eyelids grew heavier.

"Your body went through a traumatic experience yesterday. You need plenty of rest in order to get better." Ami pulled up the blanket and tucked it under Mako's chin. "We all have parts to play tomorrow."

Mako nodded as she closed her eyes. She needed to be there tomorrow, so she could protect Usagi and Ami and everyone else...

* * *

Minako stared at the menu for tomorrow night's dinner. Ami had given her a drug earlier and gave very specific instructions on how much to put into the stew. Apparently, she needed to make sure to put enough in to make them ill but not too much to kill them.

"So, I have sent out the words to everyone that's on our side. Skip the stew tomorrow." Michiru came into the kitchen and beamed. "Just one more day, and then I'll get to see Hotaru again. First rule we change for sure is that parents can visit their kids whenever they want..."

Minako nodded and muttered a response. She was running this operation and yet she felt inadequate at orchestrating this coup. An image of Rei bleeding flashed through her mind, and she felt a flash of panic. Was there any guarantee that they would all make it out of this? It was war and war always demanded sacrifices...

"Hey, earth to Minako. What are you thinking?" Michiru appeared in front, inches away from her face.

"We might not all make it." Minako muttered and looked down. "This could be out last night alive..."

Michiru chewed on her lips and thought for a while. Then she shrugged and looked straight into Minako's eyes. "We need to protect Usagi at all costs. When the guns start firing..."

"I will protect her. Mako would too. Rei already scouted out a perfect sniper position, direct sight line to the cafeteria..." Minako didn't say it, but she had already talked to Ami about this. When the time comes, Ami, Mako and her would surround Usagi, using their bodies as shields. They figured Seiya, Michiru and Haruka would carry on the fight if necessary. Rei would be in the sniper position. Anything happens to Ami, they still have Setsuna to carry on with the research...

Minako shook her head and tried to stop thinking about the plan. She hopped down from the kitchen counter and started to look through the cabinets. "Don't they have any booze around here? Let's get trashed..."

* * *

 _The Next Day…_

The dinner party was going to happen at 7 tonight. Haruka and Seiya were asked to set up

the room and hang up decorations. Both worked quietly, too anxious to even bicker with each other.

Haruka woke up with a great sense of dread this morning. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she felt like something was about to go wrong, very very wrong. With all of them planning the coup, and even though they were careful, Haruka felt weird that Demande didn't make any move...

"How many guests are we talking about here?" Seiya asked as she stared at the stacks of chairs they were suppose to arrange. Gone were the usual long cafeteria tables and the ugly benches, as they were replaced with banquet tables and fancy chairs.

"Hundred? Two hundred? I don't know. We don't nearly have enough gun power to take down everyone, that's for sure..." Haruka scanned the room, estimating its capacity. "At least, the school kids weren't invited. I wouldn't have to worry about Hotaru.".

Another soldier entered to help them, and the two stopped talking about their plan. The two resumed working in silence.

Haruka stole glances at the other soldier. He was young, barely looked old enough to be out of high school. He was nice enough to them, but come tonight, he would be their enemy...

When the guns came out blazing, Haruka hoped the power shift would happen quickly and then they could stop the killing.

* * *

Rei retrieved the guns from the garden roof and quickly walked back to the kitchen. Michiru was back on lunch delivery duty today, which was the perfect time to distribute the weapons.

Minako came back to the room last night, drunk and incoherent, blabbering about how they need to treasure whatever time they had left. Rei was angry that Minako got so drunk, but she held her tongue. Instead, she held Minako's hair as she threw up over the toilet.

The guns felt incredibly heavy in the basket. Rei's heart pounded as she walked through the long hallways, passing several guards.

"What's for lunch today?" One of them asked as he lifted the towel covering the basket. "Carrots again?"

Rei shrugged and smiled. "Yeah, lunch is simple for a reason. So you guys can stuff your face with tonight's feast."

"Is Makoto better yet? I like her food and I am excited about the stew tonight." The guard rubbed his hands together and beamed.

"She will be back tonight for sure." Rei smiled and felt like she just betrayed her friend. If their plan failed, and with everyone getting sick, Mako's head would be on the chopping board.

The guard waved her through and Rei breathed a sigh of relief. It was a good thing that the compound was so secure, and people were getting slack with their vigilance.

* * *

Michiru slid the tray across the table and then winked at Usagi. "Special sandwich. Be careful."

Completely missing the point, Usagi nodded and took a giant bite. Immediately, she dropped it and yelped in pain. The gun-wich fell to the ground with a thud and Usagi's face paled.

Chibiusa bent down and pick up the gun, causing more color to drain from Usagi's face. "Stop. Stop. Michiru, why is there a gun?"

"For protection. When things go down tonight." Michiru grabbed the gun and showed Usagi how to use it. "Here is the safety switch. Turn it down like this when you are ready to fire."

Usagi's head was shaking and she held up her hands in protest. "I am not taking that. I..."

Michiru grabbed her hands and steady them. Her face was dead serious and Usagi whimpered. "You can't count on us. Tonight, you need to take this gun so you can protect yourself, and Chibiusa."

At the mention of her sister's name, Usagi's eyes tear up. "Do you think Demande would want her there at the party?"

Michiru looked down and nodded. "Saw the list. You and Chibiusa are sitting at the head table, with Demande, Saphir and Rubeus. I am afraid that he will use the two of you as his shield. We don't want to turn this into a hostage situation."

Shakily, Usagi reached over and took the gun. The weight of it laid heavily on her hand and her heart. It was one thing to shoot zombies, but it was another to shoot humans, even if they were horrible humans.

Colonel Demande came to visit her again yesterday. Apparently, he already decided that he would have Usagi's hand in marriage. He boasted that he would get everyone to pitch in to help the wedding and it would be the wedding of the century.

"I wonder if we can train the zombies to dance to a rhythm. Wouldn't that be funny?" He laughed at his own cruel joke. Then he demanded Usagi to join in with his laughing.

As he was leaving, he showed her the ring he had and said how difficult it was to pry it out of the zombie's hand. "Eventually, I had to get a bush cutter and just cut the entire finger off." He laughed some more as Usagi tried to stop her gag. "Women...so weak...don't worry, I will protect you."

Usagi shuddered as she thought about facing him tonight.

Michiru strolled over and placed a hand on Usagi's shoulder. "Everything will be okay. We have to have faith. Just watch for Minako's signal and then try to make an excuse to come towards us."

Usagi gulped and nodded.

* * *

Ami glanced at the clock. Five thirty. Almost time. She got up from her desk and wandered over to the tea station. Grabbing two mugs, she put in the teabags and then poured hot water in. Checking over her shoulder quickly, she made sure no one was watching her...

Setsuna and her mom were huddled over the computer, going over the last batch of their results. Mako's blood continued to offer good news to them. It seemed like this vaccine might just work after all.

"Here. I made you tea. Let's rest a bit and go over our plans." Ami brought the tea to them.

The two of them accepted it graciously and took a sip. Ami smiled and sat down. "So, mom, make sure you keep talking to Demande, so that he would take his eyes off of Usagi long enough for her to make it to us. Setsuna, you are our backup. Keep the gun in your pocket and keep your ears and eyes open."

"I still think my role in this whole coup is kind of small. Are you sure I can't do more?" Setsuna frowned and looked at Ami. "I can fight, you know..."

Ami reassured Setsuna that her role was important. In fact, her role was going to be very important if the coup fails.

"Just be careful tonight, Ami." Mom put down the mug and came over to hug Ami. As she took her first few steps, she faltered and almost tripped. Mom looked up in surprise and her accusing eyes settled on Ami. "Why am I dizzy?"

Setsuna slammed the mug down and put her hand over her forehead. "Me too.." She glanced at her tea and then at Ami.

"Sorry, mom. Sorry, Setsuna. I need to make sure the two of you survive, so you can keep on making the vaccine. If we win, great. If we fail, at least you guys wouldn't be executed for treason and you need to carry on with our work. You guys are too important." Ami rushed over and broke her mother's fall.

"I am sorry..." Ami whispered again, as the two lose consciousness. "I love you, mom."


	32. Last Day on Earth

**Chapter 32-Last Day on Earth**

The doors to the cafeteria swung open and lively music spilled out. Fancy tables and chairs were set up, each with a bouquet of wild flowers as a centerpiece. Usagi's face lit up when she saw Seiya rearranging the flowers.

She was about to walk over when a cold hand grabbed her at the wrist. She turned around and stared into Rubeus' not-so-amused face. "You are going to the table there. Come. Don't give me any trouble."

Usagi nodded and tried not to look scared. She scanned the room quickly for her friends. She could see Mako pushing in a trolley loaded with food, Minako and Michiru helping to pass out the plates. Ami was talking to Elsa, Haruka and Rei in another corner. No sign of Setsuna or Hotaru.

Chibiusa tugged at Usagi's hand. "Everything will be okay." The small child looked at Usagi and shared a look.

Usagi squeezed that tiny hand and prayed that she was right. "Stay behind me, okay?"

* * *

Rei grabbed a few bites of food from the trolley and smiled at Mako. "Too bad I will be missing dinner."

"Already saved you a plate. One for you and one for Elsa." Mako winked.

Rei rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall. "I could've done this myself." Admittedly, Elsa's lie sounded better. Instead of sneaking out in the middle of the dinner, Elsa "volunteered" herself and Rei as patrols. So, they would be walking around the compound and making sure everything was secure and safe from the zombies.

Conveniently, a mob of zombies had arrived outside the gate two days ago. People were feeling anxious about the monsters so close to their home. So, Elsa's excuse was perfect. One had to wonder if the new zombies were lured over by Elsa on purpose…

"Hey, you ready?" Elsa appeared with a piece of ham in her hand. She took a big bite and then chewed noisily as she stared at Rei.

Rei nodded. She caught Minako's gaze from across the room and she smiled at her girlfriend. Minako frowned and stopped working. Rei quickly waved goodbye and then turned to leave. She did not want to make a big deal out of this. She knew Minako was worried, since last time the sniper job turned out to be disastrous. Rei knew the risks. As soon as she fired the first shot, she would give away her position and drawn fire upon herself. Yet, this was her duty. She would just have to be better than last time…

* * *

Dinner went on without a hitch. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. The soldiers ate and drank and sang merrily. News had travelled quickly and everyone knew this was to celebrate the development of the new vaccine.

Usagi watched the crowd with a sinking heart. Most of these soldiers would get sick from the stew soon, and the coup would start. What worried her the most was that Demande and Rubeus didn't touch the stew at all.

Saphir gave her a look earlier. She couldn't tell what it meant but she trusted that Saphir was still on their side.

Usagi kept staring at Minako, afraid to miss her mark. Demande's hand reached over and startled her. "Why do you look so nervous? Are you planning something? Wiseman said you are a tricky woman to handle."

Usagi's breath caught in her throat. She blushed and then shook her head. Forcing an awkward laugh, Usagi blamed it on the zombies outside. Demande stared at her for a few seconds and then returned to his eating.

Minako was playing with her hair now, twirling it as she talked to the soldier beside her. That was the signal.

Usagi wiped her mouth and kicked Chibiusa under the table. The kid got the hint. She clutched her tummy and whined. "Usagi, take me to the bathroom. I need to… you know..."

Immediately, Usagi felt Demande's hand over hers again and this time it was not a gentle squeeze. She turned and forced a smile. "She is just going to the bathroom. Can I please go with her?"

A crooked smile appeared on his face and then he stood up. He used his fork to clink on his glass. "Everyone, can I have your attention?" He waited as the room settled down. "Now, please give a warm welcome to the kids from the school. They have prepared a special performance for us."

The doors swung open and twenty odd kids walked in, led by a teacher. They stood in front of Demande's table and turned to face the rest of the crowd. Usagi's face paled.

Hotaru turned around briefly and flashed a happy smile at Usagi and Chibiusa. That poor child had no idea she was in direct line of fire. If Demande remained seated, Rei wouldn't be able to take a clear shot when needed.

The kids started to sing and Usagi could feel her heart breaking. She could see Michiru and Haruka exchanging worried looks, she could see Minako burying her face in her hands...Ami's fists were clenched...Mako and Seiya looked like they were about to burst in anger...

Demande leaned over and whispered to Usagi. "I thought you wouldn't want to miss this very special performance. If Chibiusa needs to go, I can get one of the female soldiers to escort her."

Usagi shook her head violently. No way she was going to separate from her sister.

Suddenly, a loud commotion was heard from the far corner of the room. A soldier got up, clutching his stomach, knocked over his plates as he rushed out. Another soldier started to throw up...

Usagi's heart started to race. She was supposed to be not here when people start to get sick. Demande stood up and looked around the room. A smirk appeared on his face.

"So, I see." He pulled out his gun and aimed it at Usagi. "Tell me, Usagi. Why are you betraying me?" Rubeus also pulled out his gun and aimed it at Chibiusa.

The twenty odd kids start to cry as the soldiers roughly shoved them closer to the head table. The teacher protested and was promptly knocked down.

Usagi looked towards her friends in despair. The room was tense and everyone had their guns drawn. Some soldiers weren't too sick, and managed to raise their guns with shaky hands...

Saphir finally stood up and turned his gun at Demande. "Colonel, please step down. You have lost your way."

Demande snorted and pressed the gun harder against Usagi's temple. He turned and hissed at Saphir. "After all the sacrifices I've made, this is how you all repay me? A few pretty women wondered in and immediately your loyalty shifts? Tsk tsk..."

All of a sudden, a red dot appeared on Saphir's forehead. Before anyone could react, a shot was fired and Saphir fell backwards. Usagi gasped in surprise. They had snipers too.

More shots were heard from the distant. No doubt Elsa and Rei were fighting back...

Minako gripped her gun tightly until her knuckles turned white. She held up her hand and told her group to wait. "Demande, let's talk. You don't have to keep killing."

Usagi yelped as Demande roughly tugged her closer. He let out a roaring laugh. "I have to admit, when Wiseman first told me about your coup, I thought it was stupid. Now, I think it's super retarded. How are you guys going to get out of this?"

"To be honest, I was hoping all of you guys would get sick. We wouldn't have to kill..." Minako slowly lowered her gun. Her friends gathered closer to her, while Ami shot her a weird look. "So, who is this Wiseman? Is he your boss? Maybe I should talk to the highest ranking officer."

Demande frowned and shot an angry glance at Minako. "I am the highest ranking officer here. Wiseman is just..." He paused and chewed on his lips.

"What? Who is he? Maybe the rest of your group would like to meet him too. Seeing how wise he seemed..." Minako could see the opposite team getting nervous. Some exchanged confused looks...

"Shut up. Wiseman only talks to me." Demande pressed the barrel harder against Usagi's skull.

"Oh, like a lover?" Minako felt a nudge from Seiya. She knew she was taking a risk here, but Demande seemed to be getting confused himself.

"Do you want me to shoot her? Do you? Do you?" Desperation reeked out of Demande and his hand started to shake.

"We all know you wouldn't shoot Usagi. She is the love of your life and your ticket to world domination, isn't it? I call you bluff. Let her go and we can all put down our guns. We will talk it out."

Rubeus leaned in and whispered something to Demande. The colonel smiled in return. "You are right. I wouldn't. But, the little one over here, she is disposable, no?"

Chibiusa put on her brave face and held her head high. "You stupid cowards."

"What?" Rubeus flared in anger and yanked Chibiusa's hair hard. "You little brat." Tears welled up in her eyes but she kept her lips tightly together. Chibiusa stared at Rubueus in defiance.

Suddenly, Colonel's walkie talkie crackled. "We are ready, sir." A soldier reported.

Demande yanked on Usagi and then they were walking. "Why don't we move this stalemate outside? I have something to show you."

Awkwardly, the entire group filed out after each other. Minako's heart was pounding. That awful feeling had returned.

Demande led the group to the zombie pit. From afar, Minako could see two figures suspended over the monsters. Her face paled.

"Rei! Elsa!" Panic rose inside of her and her hands started to shake. Not again.

Demande stared at the group with his cold eyes and then sneered. Without a word, he raised his hand and then made a gesture. A soldier near the pit fired a shot and Elsa's rope snapped.

Elsa fell into the pit with a piercing scream. Rei turned away and closed her eyes. The group watched in horror as Elsa was devoured within seconds.

Demande turned and then smiled triumphantly. "Surrender now! I promise I will let you all die peacefully. Or..." He raised his hand again but paused in midair.

Minako shook her head in disbelief. What have they gotten themselves into?

* * *

 _A.N._

 _"Last Day on Earth" was the episode title of The Walking Dead season 6 finale. Negan murdered some of Rick's people, marking it as the last day on earth for those people. Similarly, it was the last day on Earth for Saphir, Elsa...and perhaps Rei? Stay tuned for the next chapter :P_

 _I promise I won't let you guys wait a ridiculous amount of time before you find out (unlike the walking dead producers...cough cough)_


	33. Better Angels

**Chapter 31 –Better Angels**

Time seemed to have stopped for those few seconds. Minako stared into Demande's insane eyes and grit her teeth. She clenched her fists and looked back at her girlfriend.

Rei shook her head at Minako. "Don't you dare, Aino Minako. If you surrender, I will never forgive you and I will come back as a zombie and bite your ass. Just fight, keep fighting..."

Minako darted her eyes towards Ami and she was pointing at her wrist. Time. They need time. Backup must be on the way.

"Hey Demande, do you really think you are invincible? We have the approval of someone important and he helped us with this coup." Minako decided to roll the dice.

"Pfft. Saphir. I know." Demande rolled his eyes, arrogant as ever.

"Saphir was just a puppet. It was Wiseman." Minako smirked as she watched Demande's face paled.

"Bullshit. You didn't even know who he was a few minutes ago." Demande yelled, with less and less conviction in his voice.

Minako lowered her gun and flipped her hair. "Well, I lied. There is no point in covering that anymore, seeing we are at a stalemate once again. Why else do you think we know everything? How else could we have planned all this? Saphir was good but he wasn't that good."

Demande narrowed his eyes and his face flared red. His grip tightened and Usagi winced in pain. "There is no way Wiseman is helping you. He was the one that told me about your coup, so clearly he is on my side."

"Perhaps we are both fools then. What if Wiseman wants us to kill each other so that he could be the boss?" Minako held her breath and watched Demande's face changed from anger to confusion. Seeing a sliver of doubt, Minako pressed on. "Wiseman told me about your Usagi shrine in the office and told me you were crazy. How would I know that if he didn't leak the information to me? Think about it..."

Demande shook his head and muttered something to himself. Usagi's eyes widen and tears welled up. Panic was apparent and she looked towards Rei.

"Hey, hey, maybe we can help each other..." Minako's heart stopped when she saw the fear in Usagi's eyes. Perhaps she pushed too hard...

Demande was still talking to himself, clearly losing his grip on reality. Unfortunately, his grip on Usagi was still tight. Rubeus looked over with concern, and even he was getting confused by Demande's behavior.

Minako could see Ami shifting in position, ever so slightly, from the corner of her eye. What was that blue hair girl doing?

Minako kept talking, trying to keep Demande from falling over the insanity cliff….Rei dangled dangerously above the zombies….Usagi within the grasp of a monster…Minako gulped and hoped she didn't have to choose…

* * *

Ami had timed it. Thirty minute since the first shot rang out. The backups were in a camp fifteen minutes away. They would have to fight through the zombie crowd in front of the compound. Factoring all that in, they should be here soon.

Ami shuffled ever so slightly, the guard's gun followed. He looked confused and scared...Ami smiled internally at the power she wielded over him.

"Stop. What are you doing?" The guard hissed. A giant bead of sweat trailed off his face and he hurriedly wiped away with his free hand. The other hand that hoisted the gun up was starting to shake.

Ami ignored him and looked to her right. She was finally close enough to look through the hole in the fence. She smiled at what she saw.

* * *

Rei could no longer feel her arms, which was a surprising relief. The pain of being suspended shot burning sensations throughout her body, and now that was quiet.

She looked down at the situation below and shook her head. She failed her job and that led to this...if she was faster, a single bullet to Demande's head would have taken care of all of this...

The soldier that killed Elsa looked traumatized, but he kept his gun aimed at Rei's rope. He couldn't take his eyes off the Elsa zombie, however. Guilt and shame, written all over his face, he trembled and secretly wiped away an escaping tear.

Rei rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the horizon. Where were they?

* * *

A dust storm outside of the gate drew Rei's attention. The roars of the zombie crowd increased and then just as quickly, permanently silenced. Rei's mouth formed an O when she realized what she was seeing. Of course. It was Ami's plan after all.

The ground started to shake and everyone looked up in surprise. The south wall trembled and then crumbled in a loud crash. The tank rolled in majestically and the main gun swerved around until it was lined up with Demande and Rubeus.

A voice sounded through the speaker. "Put down your guns and surrender."

Usagi couldn't believe her eyes. This was Ami's plan? She looked down at Chibiusa and saw a giant grin spread across the child's face. They were in direct line of fire, and yet, Usagi could see hope in her eyes.

A primal scream came behind her, and Usagi looked back and saw that it came from Demande. "Never! Kill me and you kill the cure."

Someone inside moved the smaller machine gun and aimed it at Demande's head. "It's an acceptable risk. We have a sample of the vaccine already. It would be nice to have the girl but not necessary."

"What?" Ami's face flared with anger. "You double crossing us? That was not the deal."

The metal lid opened and a woman with green hair appeared. She scanned the crowd and laughed. "Do you know how many of these men have visited us while we were prisoners? How they crawled in into our beds and have their ways? This is a win win for us. Thank you for saving us and for leading us here."

Makoto turned her gun around and aimed it at the new enemy. "Petz, stop it. If you dare harm Usagi and Chibiusa…I swear…."

"Stop! Stop! Everyone just stop!" Usagi yelled, as she felt hot tears rolling down her face. She could feel her heart breaking, the pain was almost unbearable.

"Why can't we just work together to save the world? Demande, you sworn to protect this country, remember? What happened? Rubeus, you are a loyal soldier. Do you really want to have a child's blood on your hands? Petz, I know you feel the need to take revenge, but there is a better way. Nobody has to die today. We can all survive. We can all go back to our old lives."

Usagi held her breath as she looked to everyone.

A child's voice started to sing. Usagi turned around and saw it was Hotaru. Her voice was beautiful, electrifying…Chibiusa was the next one to join in. She sang while she continued to look defiantly at Rubeus. Soon, the twenty odd kids joined the melody as well, filling the compound with a happy song. A song about going home. A song about reunion.

One by one, the soldiers drop their guns. Some dropped to their knees and started to cry. Ami gestured for the group to lower their guns as well. Petz was still standing next to her machine gun, but she was no longer aiming it. The other three sisters emerged and climbed off of the tank.

"Sis, the girl is right." They talked to Petz. "We can all go home. We don't have to fight anymore."

"Demande, please. Let us go." Usagi pleaded. "The apocalypse is over. Why don't we work together to rebuild this world?"

The colonel's face was blank and void of emotion. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Usagi. After a few minutes, he relaxed his grip and shoved Usagi away. He waved to Rubeus and he too release Chibiusa.

"It was Wiseman. He told me what I had to do...but he was wrong." Demande said in a flat voice. "There is no happy ending for me."

Usagi shook her head. "Everyone deserves a second chance. We will get you help."

Demande looked up in surprise and his eyes widened. "You are truly amazing, Usagi. I don't deserve you." With that, he raised his gun to his temple and pulled the trigger.

His body fell to the ground with a thud. "Nooooo" Usagi wailed as she rushed over to his side.

Seiya came over and put her arms around Usagi. "It's okay now. It's okay…."

Usagi buried her face in Seiya's chest and sobbed. "He let me go. There was still good inside of him."

"I know. I know." Seiya said over and over as she cradled Usagi in her chest. "Shh, it's okay. Everyone is okay now..."

* * *

 _A.N._

 _Stay tuned for the last episode…will be posting sometime this week. :D_


	34. New Beginning

**Chapter 34-New Beginning**

 _Three months later_

Usagi opened her eyes and bright lights flooded in, causing her to wince and retreated under the cover. She sighed happily, as she breathed in the freshly laundered sheets. Seiya stirred beside her and rolled, tugging the cover away from Usagi.

"Seiya!" Usagi shoved and pulled the blanket back.

Startled, Seiya opened her eyes and bolted upright. "What? What?"

Usagi chuckled and hid under the blanket. "You stole the cover. It's mine." There was a silence momentarily and then Usagi felt the crushing weight on top of her.

"Then you don't mind if I sleep on top of you." Seiya said as she simultaneously launched a tickle attack.

Usagi giggled and squirmed under, feeling happiness bursting inside of her. She poked her head out and looked up at the love of her life. Dreamily, she purred and puckered her lips, demanding a kiss.

"Nope. You ate too much garlic bread last night." Seiya pinched her nose and waved her other hand in front.

Usagi gasped and made a shock face. She pouted and then squirmed back under the cover. "Seiya, you are mean. Also, your breath stank too. You had just as much garlic bread as me last night, if not more..."

"Yeah, we shouldn't have taken up Minako's dare...but we beat her and Rei, right?" Seiya chuckled. "Now, my princess, come out so I can kiss you."

"Then say something nice first." Usagi demanded.

"I love you all the way to the moon and back. There."

"The moon is too close." Usagi whined. "But it will do for now..." She poked her head out and beamed at Seiya. "I love you too..."

All of a sudden, the bedroom door flew open and an annoyingly energetic voice boomed out. "Rise and shine, love birds. Today is the day..." Minako strut in and opened the curtains.

Usagi groaned and covered her face. Shielding away like a vampire from the sun, Usagi curled up into a ball and pulled the blanket to cover her again. Today was the day and she had been trying to not think about it.

"Come on, you will do great." Seiya laid a hand gently on the shrouded Usagi.

"I don't want to meet and talk to all the leaders from all the countries."

The cover was flung over and Minako poked her head in. "Mako knew you would say that. So, here is the deal. She will make you a chocolate cake if you go."

Usagi looked up, and then smile weakly. "Can she put sprinkles on top?"

Minako rolled her eyes and then nodded. "Yes. Extra sprinkles. Got it. Now, Setsuna just finished sewing your new dress. So go see her after breakfast, okay?"

Usagi nodded and slowly got out of bed.

"Chop, chop...come on." Minako barked like a drill Sergeant.

"Ah, Minako, you are too loud. Okay, okay, I am going..." Usagi was forced to hurry her steps, as the other blonde resorted to shoving her.

* * *

"Setsuna-mama, that is so pretty." Hotaru exclaimed and ran her hands over the smooth fabric.

"Well, it's for my special firefly, so I have to make it extra special too." Setsuna beamed and held the purple dress up. She chuckled as Hotaru took the dress and spun around in front of the mirror.

When it was all over, she was finally able to bury Mamoru. For the longest time, she thought she would stay at the bottom of the well forever. All the emotions she kept bottled up, they brimmed over and swept her away in a wave. It was Hotaru that saved her and pulled her out. Slowly, the pain got less and less each day, until one day, Setsuna realized she was looking forward to starting over. From that day forth, she promised she would spend the rest of her life protecting Hotaru.

"Wow, is this for Usagi?" Hotaru examined the dresses on the rack and pointed at a long white gown. "Setsuna-mama, you are so good at this. Oooooo...the pink one! Chibiusa and I will have matching dresses. Yay! I am going to go tell her..." The girl dashed out of the room without waiting for a reply.

Setsuna chuckled to herself. Things have certainly been different around here. They still live at the compound for now. Dr. Mizuno and she continued to manufacture the vaccine. Minako was elected as the leader by the rest of the soldiers, running the mission of clearing the rest of the zombies and rescuing any people that might still be trapped. Ami and some nurses took on the mission of starting a hospital, using the abandoned buildings just outside of the compound. She would treat the survivors, most of them severely malnourished, and then administered the shots. Michiru and Usagi became the new teachers at the school. Seiya, Haruka and Rei worked as guards at the compound and at the make shift prison.

"Good morning, Setsuna." Usagi waltz in with a sandwich between her teeth. "Sorry, I am late."

Setsuna hadn't seen Usagi since the funeral. She couldn't help but notice that Usagi was slightly rounder around the waist. Given that food was no longer an issue, Usagi certainly didn't waste anytime eating anything and everything.

Sure enough, Usagi squirmed uncomfortably under the white dress. Setsuna had to help zip her up and she wasn't sure if the zippers would hold.

"Ah, I should have not eaten so much." Usagi said while she breathed shallow breathes. "If I hold my tummy in, I can still walk."

"You look like a white sausage." Rei wandered in and threw her usual verbal assault at Usagi.

Usagi looked up and stuck her tongue out at Rei. "You are so mean."

"Anyway, Minako said we will leave in an hour. Try not to eat anymore or your dress will pop." Rei smiled, waved her hand and walked out gracefully, her beautiful red dress flowing around her legs.

"Setsuna, I am scared." Usagi looked down, her face serious again.

"Well, if I add a pin here, that should make sure the zippers hold." Setsuna went over to her desk and rummaged about.

"I am not talking about that. I am scared about meeting all these world leaders. What if they are bad like Demande?"

Setsuna nodded and looked down. "Can't say for individuals, but if they are all in the same room, I doubt they will try anything. Plus, we will all be there to protect you."

Overnight, Usagi had become the most important person in the world. When she and Dr. Mizuno sent out the message to the people in Tokyo, the good news spread like wild fire. Suddenly, people stopped fighting and killing. They were eager to return to their civilized lives and in turn, the city was peaceful again. Eventually, someone in Germany managed to restore the internet and they made contact.

Soon, the news of a vaccine reached people from around the world...

* * *

Usagi sat in the backseat, clenching Seiya's hand nervously. Michiru and Haruka were flirting shamelessly in the front, the things they talked about had caused Usagi to blush more than once.

"It will be okay. They are just curious about the girl that saved the world, that's all." Seiya patted Usagi's hand for reassurance.

Usagi forced a weak smile and squeezed Seiya's hand harder. She turned and looked out the window, choosing to not to engage in any more talking. Tokyo was looking a lot cleaner now, thanks to the efforts of everyone. Occasionally one could still spot a wandering zombie, but no one fears the walking dead anymore.

When the news was first announced, Usagi was surprised to find there were more survivors in Tokyo than one would imagine. People were resilient and found ways to live, anywhere they could. A lot of people came back too, from the mountains and the suburbs.

Back in the day, Usagi learned about the Black Death pandemic and how it almost caused humans to extinct. She thought it was amazing how humanity could come back such brink of death. Now, she witnessed it herself.

It would probably take at least a generation for everything to return to normal. There was no doubt in Usagi's mind, however, that this would be a happy ending for everyone. She just wished her parents were here to witness this with her...

The car rolled to a stop in front of the convention centre. Flags of each country attending waved proudly on the poles and a crowd gathered in front. Spectators and reporters alike, they roared excitedly as Usagi exited the car.

Usagi grabbed Seiya's hand again and waved hesitantly at the people. A reporter approach and Seiya instinctively put up a hand to shield Usagi.

"Ms. tsukino, how do you feel about this meeting? How do you propose we rebuild the world?"

Usagi blushed and stammered. "Um...I...um..."

Minako came out of nowhere and wrapped one arm around her. "The meeting will be broadcasted live, just watch it. Now we have to get going. Thank you."

As they made their way inside, Minako muttered something about she should be in public relation. "Usagi, you are now the number one celebrity. They would call you queen if they could. So, watch what you say in public and to those reporters."

Ami and Mako and Rei were already waiting by the elevator. Usagi followed them in nervously.

"Who would've thought, a bunch of lesbians saved the world?" Minako chuckled as she looked at the couples in the mirror. She fixed her hair and reapplied her makeup.

 _Ding_. The elevator doors opened and an old lady greeted them in the hallway. She handed some ID badges to the group and then led them to the conference room.

"Ms. tsukino, they've been waiting. It is such an honour to meet you myself." The old lady clasped her hands around Usagi's. With misty eyes, the old lady bowed deeply to her. "My grandson is alive, thanks to you."

Usagi smiled and pulled the old lady into a hug. "I am glad you guys are okay."

The old lady wiped away her tears and smiled apologetically. She placed her hand on the door handled and pushed. "The world is ready to meet the saviours."

Cameras flashed as the group entered into the spacious room. Representatives from different regions and countries stood up. Simultaneously, they all bowed, expressing their gratitude.

Usagi took a deep breath, then grabbed Seiya's hand and walked into the room.

* * *

Later that evening, a dine-and-dance party was held in honour of the group's effort in saving the world. Usagi watched happily from her table as everyone laughed and danced.

Michiru and Haruka just finished performing on stage and won thunderous applause from everyone. Hotaru and Chibiusa were running around and sampling all the cakes and cookies from the dessert table. Ami and Makoto were dancing in the middle of the dance floor, looking happy and free. Minako was trying to convince Rei to relax and was half dragging her to the dance floor. Setsuna was chatting with a young man on the other side of the room. Soon, the young man offered his hand, inviting Setsuna for a dance. She gladly accepted.

"Here." Seiya placed two slices of cake on the table. "Pick one. Mont blanc or stawberry shortcake? I pried them from the hands of those two devils over there. Seriously, they are so high on sugar, they probably won't be able to sleep tonight."

Usagi chuckled and dug her fork into one of the slices. She ate silently, as she continued to watch her friends having fun.

"So..." Seiya slid over closer and placed her arm around Usagi. "What does it feel like to be awarded the title -Ambassador of the World?"

"Like an honour. Like a huge responsibility. Like I have to save everyone." Usagi had mixed feelings when they announced that. She wanted to help rebuild the world, but soon she would have to leave Tokyo. Peace wasn't instantaneous in all the places. Usagi would go with the leaders on a world tour and help bring hope to people that were still struggling to survive.

"I've already talked to them. I am coming with you. After all, you need a bodyguard." Seiya beamed and shoved a giant bite into her mouth.

"Really? I would love that. Thank you." Usagi dropped her fork and clasped her arms around Seiya.

A finger gently tapped on Usagi's shoulder and she turned to look at the old lady. "The feed is all set up. It's time for you to address the world."

"Thank you." Usagi quickly wiped her mouth and checked her look in her compact mirror.

The dance music stopped and people turned their attention to the stage. Usagi stepped behind the podium. The cameraman held up his hand and silently counted down from three. Then, the red light went on, indicating Usagi was live.

"Citizens of the world, my name is Tsukino Usagi. I hope you can hear me, from wherever you are. I am here to tell you, the apocalypse is over." Usagi choked back her tears. "We have suffered, so much. We've all lost someone, or everyone…But I am here to tell you, you can finally stop fighting. Put down your weapons. Cease all fighting. Please."

Usagi quickly wiped away an escaped tear. "I know we can fall prey to our own fears. Fear that we can't protect the ones we love. Fear that someone you trust would betray you, over a loaf of bread. Don't you see? We are all in this together…So, here's a choice. We can either cave to our fear and hopelessness, or we can rise above it. There is still hope for humanity."

She turned around and revealed her neck to the world. "You see that? That was a bite mark, from a zombie. Somehow, miraculously, I recovered. I didn't turn. We have a vaccine now."

Usagi glanced over at her friends and smiled. Her friends. Her family…

"So, we need to stop fighting, because we are stronger together. This vaccine would not be possible if not for my wonderful friends. They protected me all the way and saved me from certain deaths…They worked days and nights until they could make the vaccine…" Usagi placed her hand over her heart. "Citizens of the world, I believe that you will all make the right choice. Don't fear, hope. Things may be bleak for a little while, but slowly, we _will_ rebuild the world. We _will_ not let fear dictate our actions anymore. We _will_ prevail!"

Thunderous applause came from the room. With tears in her eyes, Usagi looked upwards.

 _Mom, dad…Chibiusa and I made it. I kept my promise…I love you…_

* * *

 _A.N._

 _Thank you to all my devoted fans to this story. I decided to extend the ending of this story, because I wanted to end it on a hopeful note. Given the current political event, we could all use a little hope..._


End file.
